Luce ed Ombra
by Yashachi
Summary: Dante's taken a job that slowly proves to be something a little over his head. There are forces at work that he would have never dreamed dealing with his past. (Chapter 17 up. I'm back from the dead... Kinda... ;_;)
1. Prologue

  
_Haven't we met  
You're some kind of beautiful stranger  
You could be good for me  
I've had the taste for danger  
  
If I'm smart then I'll run away  
But I'm not so I guess I'll stay  
Heaven forbid  
I'll take my chance on a beautiful stranger  
  
I looked into your eyes  
And my world came tumbling down  
You're the devil in disguise  
~Beautiful Stranger, Madonna_

** Luce ed Ombra **  
Prologue  
  
_The Devil May Cry_  
[By Ultema and Guo ]   
  
  
  
  
Blaring lights flashed across the floor. The resonance of sound; constant beats as the system bleated out every note at a deafening decibel. The occupants were normal people, it seemed. From purple-haired punks to red-haired ravers and everything in between like part-going office workers and club hopping teenagers, the place was packed to the brim. This place was well known amongst all sorts of people, and the business was fine here. There was never a night when the dance floor wasn't jammed packed with bodies. The Devil May Cry; a popular place for the populace to enjoy a night of music loud enough to blast the brains from one side of your head and out the other ear.   
  
In the midst of bodies, cutting through the sea of people was one of the regulars. She didn't seem to talk to anyone, or really even know anyone, save for maybe a few of the office workers that hung out in the darker corner of the establishment, where the strobe lights failed to hit. Cinnamon-sandy-chestnut brown hair, striking green eyes and plenty of pleather in that jumpsuit, every now and again she'd stop to move those liquid curves with the music alongside some random face in the crowd, but tonight it seemed as though she was heading in a particular place. This time, she seemed to be heading off towards one of the doors that lead to the main office. The owner here was well known, and liked as it seemed.   
  
"He in tonight?" A distinct Spanish accent flooded over a pair of full dusty-rose lips as the woman jerked her head towards the door, eliciting but a little response in way of a nod from one of the patrons.   
  
Reflections of an unknown origin seemed to be waving back and forth, emanating from a large opaque window located next to the aforementioned door. Within was one lanky, platinum haired mess; arms dangling from the edges of a lounge chair facing the window and his head cocked to one side with a small opening in the man's mouth. A busy night? How could one really tell when they were asleep? It seemed to be the only time the owner was ever able to get a bit of sleep, and he enjoyed it, or at least that was story the drool on his office chair seemed to tell; but that was assuming he could even count on a bit of sleep during this hour, even with the lullaby of progressive house in the background.   
  
His foot pressed against his desk in a slight spasm or dream, causing a strip or two of his gaudy red pleather coat to waver more, reflecting light back onto the window behind him and towards the dance floor. Not one to be startled easily, his body was already aware of an approaching figure, of course his mind was still in la-la-land. His door was left unlocked for any of his workers or friends who might bring him some money, or what have you, or just out of carelessness, not realizing he'd again be snoozing "on the job."   
  
Too bad the respite was to be short lived, for a few moments more, the owner would be granted the time to enjoy his beauty rest before the sudden and very distinct sound of the buzzer at the door screeched inside. On the opposite end of things, a delicate fingertip pressed ever so tactfully upon a worn, black disk on an illuminated white rectangle; carmine nail flicking some of the chipped paint off the wall with the opposite hand, and the pleather-clad patroness stood with eyes fixed on the heavy metal door ahead.   
  
For a few moments, the Hispanic regular allowed the sounds muffled just a bit by the wall beside her to wash over her, a few sliding movements here and there before a pair of keen eyes noted the crack of light from within. The door was unlocked. Slipping a hand forward, that massive door was pushed open with two fingertips. She'd given enough warning, hadn't she? The click of heels against the carpet drowned out by the now duller sound of music in the background, she strolled straight in, no questions asked.   
  
The sound of the buzzer was easily over powered by the current track being played, as well as the emanating sound of snoring, yet the distinct sound of the door being opened, even so gently, didn't go quite as unnoticed. Without even awakening, the man's hand had reached for a gun holstered on his hip, and needless to say, was unable to grab a thing. He was however, able to topple over backwards out of his chair.   
  
A grunt or three came out as he staggered to his feet like a hung over bum, a grin sweeping over his features as he the image of the one who had entered began to come into focus. The chair swung back into place with himself effortlessly placed back on his ass, he leaned back with a leg up on his desk, and arms behind his head. He seemed quite confident in his abilities … to do something. He was no rookie when it came to being suave, so it seemed.   
  
"Ah, not so often such a catch like you falls out of the sky... and how can I help you, baby?" One gun was drawn, and now being used to pick the man's teeth, and a wink was offered over the oddly tinted pale blue eyes.   
  
And, well, there she stood with lights glistening against the slick surface of what looked like wet rubber; a single silver zipper straight up the middle from the navel to the throat. One hand akimbo, sweeping her attention left and right to the skulls mounted on the walls around them. Not to mention the left over pizza boxes and risqué photos of women with stars on their breasts. Compared to the floor, the office was a regular wreck.   
  
After those green hues took in all of this, the woman placed her attention back on the red-clad owner of the establishment. It wasn't every day you found a man with platinum hair, nor the charms of a troll in heat. Though that was something that made her heavy-lipped pucker turn upright at the corners. But, the whole picking-of-the-teeth thing was over the top. She had to raise a hand to cough into it, before addressing him.   
  
"Seems you have a unique taste in decoration, Dante," Hell, everyone knew his name, regardless of whether or not they had seen him before. The hand placed to the woman's lips consulted the various blood-streaked skulls idly, before letting it fall to her side. A simple stride carried her around towards the front of the desk, where two bare arms placed themselves palm-down atop its surface, leaning over slightly.   
  
"I need a favor from you..."   
  
Smirk, smirk, it seemed like he made that face once to many times and it got stuck that way. A small chuckle given as he cocked his head to one side, not glancing towards his ... fine arts of the female posters which were so tastelessly humiliated. Instead all concentration lay upon the strange female getting ever closer. Dante didn't so much mind the female part, as much as the strange part. Did anyone normal ever want any normal favors from him? He could always hope, couldn't he, besides, it looked like quite a fine one to him, and he wasn't about to give up so quickly. But business came first,   
  
"And what could you possibly need from me?" Anyone who needed to know what he really did was able to find out so easily he didn't even bother hiding it anymore. His attitude seemed to stray slightly from his arrogant flirting to more of a serious nature. He squinted as he pushed his chair back slightly from his desk, while moving his head closer -- perhaps some show of false bravery, who knew.   
  
As his legs dropping from their place, the owner raised to his feet for a brief moment before his hands were placed flat on his desk, face moving slightly closer to the strange woman whom had interrupted his lovely dream. An eyebrow raised as his head was tilted upwards towards hers, almost in an intimidating, or perhaps, inviting way.   
  
"Whatever it is, I promise a great performance ... " A tooth showed through his grin, he was quite intrigued, obviously ... but about the job? Who cared about the job? Unless, of course, it was a good paying one.   
  
Not being one to stay too close for too long, Dante had already looked back to his seat, perhaps formulating a plan of retreat. A bit over-confident at times, it seemed. His attention, even with all distractions abound, remained fixed upon the one in front of him.   
  
There was a lingering silence for the time being, almost nose to nose with the owner of the establishment, but that expression he wore was simply priceless. The corners of the wet rubber-clad woman's full lips twitched into uprising corners as she scanned over his face at close proximity. It was even then that her own expression tugged itself into a winning smile, flashing two rows of perfect pearly whites; straight as could be. Her legs shifted slightly beneath her, weight falling from left to right hip respectively, fingertips curling against the slick surface of the desk below, and carefully carved oval fingernails tip-tapped on the almost reflective surface. She seemed quite confrontational in all reality.   
  
"Not here, though ... After hours meet me on the corner. We can talk there." Suspicious, yes, and it sounded as though there was something devious going on, either in her method of communication, or exactly what this particular job was. The green hues of her eyes disappeared partially behind their lids, one hand rising upwards to tap on the bridge of the red-clad man's nose with the pad of a solitary fingertip, then drawn up to her own lips in much a hush-hush fashion before pulling back to stand at her full height.   
  
And so Dante again took his seat. For the time being, he liked the girl, obviously ... but who wouldn't? The job on the other hand, seemed a bit like fish. He debated not even attending at night ... After all, he wasn't quite sure if he was ready for another heart stabbing ... literally ...   
  
He nodded with a slight chuckle -- he wouldn't even bring up the fact that it sounded strange, even for him, but then again, she didn't exactly seem all that trust-worthy in the first place.   
  
"And how can I know that you'll show ... and this isn't going to be just a one night stand, baby? ... " He smirked, but it was a serious question. Collateral was what he wanted, even though with his hand placed on the desk, it looked more like he wanted a tip for being the doorman.   
  
" Well, for starters --" the woman paused for a moment, tenderly grasping the zipper of the black jumpsuit she wore and let it down another notch or two from the collar bone to the beginning of a flash to the swell of moderate cleavage below. The other hand rose up and slid below the rubbery fabric, only to procure a set of keys and dropping them into the open palm of the platinum-haired man. They were somewhat old looking, with tape on the largest gold one, displaying an address in black marker.   
  
"I'm not going anywhere without those, you know." Perhaps she didn't have a down payment at the time, but that could have been an invitation all of its own. A quick zip and the exposed flesh disappeared under the black pleather again, squeaking gently as she once more shifted her weight and cocked a hip, hand resting upon it. A wry grin passed over her thick set of cinnamon lips, and from below a barrage of hair, peridot eyes stared back towards the other.   
  
" And, you can always come and find me..."   
  
Dante's eyes didn't stray from the stranger's stare, surprisingly, despite the eye candy being displayed below. The keys were rolled around in his hand and his eyebrows dropped slightly to show his curiosity. It was good enough, so he thought. Leaning back in his chair, he couldn't help but think this job must have been something a bit beyond his initial thoughts. This tongue made a quick, but noticeable appearance as she was quite enough to make the job worth it -- he was quite the ladies man -- or something, after all.   
  
"Deal. We'll be seeing each other again.." He chimed, nodding in the direction of the door. It was obvious his sleep came before entertaining company, even the interesting ones. Besides, he had a bit of preparation before the next meeting.   
  
Shoes were flicked off, and the chair, which was obviously also a bed, was reclined. A low grunt as he settled into his chair again, the man's eyes were concealed by silver, but stared back at hers. He could tell there was a bit more to this one, just by the way her body moved. He might actually be cautious around a female for once... or at least not go rushing straight towards the meeting point without observing the surrounding areas. Scenic routes were always his favorite. His mind formulated plans of perhaps attempting to watch her from afar, if he wasn't noticed first -- after all, he was no master of stealth.   
  
"I'll be looking forward to it --" The girl turned on her thick, three-inch heels before pausing again. This time, a glance cast over a single tattooed shoulder, pushing the hair that obscured her full vision away from her eyes, and offered yet another smile, though this time perhaps more predatory than the last few of amusement.   
  
"Oh .... And just for future reference; I'm Isabella." Ee-Sah-Bell-La ... take note of it, pretty boy. Most men end up screaming it as their last words, but that particular little thing was to be left out of *this* meeting. After this, without waiting for a response from the other party she had taken off towards the door again, slipped out and once more merged into the crowd.   
  
  
  


Yatta. 


	2. Shades of Black

  
_She's into superstitions  
Black cats and voodoo dolls  
I feel a premonition  
That girl's gonna make me fall ...  
  
Upside Inside Out  
She's livin' la vida loca  
She'll push and pull you down  
Livin' la vida loca  
Her lips are devil red  
And her skin's the color of mocha  
She will wear you out  
Livin' la vida loca  
She's livin' la vida loca  
~Livin' La Vida Loca, Ricky Martin_

** Luce ed Ombra **  
Chapter One  
  
_Shades of Black_  
[By Ultema and Guo ]   
  
  
The hours had passed that night. No faster than any others, nor any slower. It simply passed. The clock ticked away, and the crowds thinned out until the skulking shadows of the office workers in corners were all that were left, and eventually even they vanished from sight. The sound system ceased, the strobe lights turned off, and silence was the only thing between the glass of the office, and the far-reaching walls of the inner rooms. Outside, the mist hung thick around lampposts that cast single beams of light to the damp ground. Only the occasional rattle of a garbage can lid, the mew of an alley cat, and the sound of tires against wet cement filled the evening air.  
  
After his alarm clock failed to ring (most likely due to his lack of having one,) Dante was just about "on time" as he neared the meeting place, but he wasn't about to show himself just yet. He had planned on arriving much earlier, and staking out the place like a private eye. But instead, he decided on sticking to hanging around behind the garbage cans. Normally he didn't mind being seen by the occasional whore walking around as the relatively large sword holstered on his back just tended to keep people away, anyways.  
  
Looking out from the shrouded alley like on an espionage mission, he peered towards the corner, looking for the Portuguese eye-full, Isabella. Surely, even if she showed with others, he was confident in his abilities. The garbage facility next to him seemed to be a bit less cooperative, and shifted as he leaned against it. Ah well, if it proved to reveal his location, he could always break it ... He wasn't exactly planning on hiding for much longer anyways -- just enough to see if she was indeed, alone.   
  
Click.  
Click.  
Click.  
Click.  
  
A dwindling tendril of smoke curled into the windless air, traced easily back to a white stick stuck between a heavy pair of lips, balanced quite skillfully on the bottom one. A pair of heels seemed to glitter and dance with each puddle stepped in, a strange flittering crimson color that shifted about the feet of a long-legged figure dressed solely in wet-looking rubber. She was a familiar sight, and quite alone without so much as a weapon visible. Just the Zippo in her left hand to account for anything other than a lithe form that could have easily belonged to a gymnast.   
  
A perch was taken against a nearby lamppost; the light shining heavily down upon the top of a cinnamon-haired head with traces of copper highlights interwoven with each strand. Her long, thin shadow disappeared into the darkness of the alley from which she had just emerged, both hands crossed over her chest with the occasional removing of the cigarette from intensely cared for lips.   
  
It was good enough for him. Dante gave a slight shove to the rusted hunk of metal next to him, and approached the feline-esque shape of a woman. He couldn't help but feel drawn to her against his will, and it was something he was going to have combat. Feet creating splashes in the same puddles that she graced, he didn't speak or anything else besides his presence let her know he had arrived. He was still quite attentive however, the nap actually proved useful.  
  
Without even noticing he let out a slight sigh of intoxication, though not of alcohol. Approaching the only nice looking sight in the entire city at this time of night, she seemed to out of place -- even in that "outfit". He couldn't stay silent to her much longer, and, oh yeah, there was business to attend to. A flick of his hair gave off a small shimmer on the shadowed side of the nearby building, and those lemony sapphire eyes stared ahead in interest with a matching grin.   
  
The young woman didn't acknowledge his presence for a moment or two, even as he ambled his way towards her through the puddles. The red glow of the ashen end of the cigarette held between index and middle finger of the right hand was disposed of with a quick flicker, before the filter end was placed back into her mouth. It was only after this that her vision shifted to focus on the red-clad man; bright forest eyes fixed on his form, the lights above playing off their damp surface to a glitter.   
  
"Sanitation duty?" the Portuguese accent questioned, cigarette once more pulled from her lips, head turned and a curling tail of smoke slid in serpentine motion from between them, and was soon after dropped to be extinguished in a puddle below her. She nodded off into the general direction of the garbage can, and shifted until her bare shoulder rested upon the cold metal lamppost. Perhaps it was obvious now that she had matching tattoos on her shoulders. They looked like a pair of eyes that stared forward apathetically.  
  
"Well, at least you came ... " Siren. That was the word that was used to describe a person like this -- the shadows that were cast over her, blacked out a portion of her body, but there was still that out of place light at her feet.   
  
No defensive posture was taken, even with a set of eyes that didn't come with her lovely face. Nah, Dante was too cocky and knew all too well about the type of people that came to visit him. He had no proof other than his own intuition that something was up. Why else would he be invited to such a place? In fact, he made a slow pace back and forth, head cocked.  
  
"And now that I have, what exactly can I do for such a beauty?" He couldn't resist even the slightest chance to compliment her, and without much more than a wink, he was advancing towards her again. He just never gave up.   
  
" It seems as though I've lost my cat..." The woman's expression rang outwardly of utter seriousness, and as he moved to her, her thin frame removed itself from the support of the pole and advanced until she was but a foot away from crashing into the red-clad figure. Her gaze never leaving that of his, shadows shifted over the both of them, and she sought out his attentions as though they stood on equal planes in all respects; from height to importance. She didn't seem to have an issue about personal space, either, since his was nearly all but violated.  
  
"Do you like cats?" What a silly question. She was more or less asking him to be the animal control agency now? Well ... maybe. But the high-pitched whine of something other than human was easily distinguished against the otherwise silent backdrop of the scene. The floating pair of red orbs also contributed to what appeared to be the sudden lack of human in the darkness.   
  
Dante's head was originally moving in a cocked back position, obviously emphasizing his amusement of her request. However, his bemused expression was quickly replaced by a look of confusion, and subsequently, concern. The pants he wore made a slight squeaking sound as his leg drew back for just a moment. There was something odd going on, that he knew, he just wasn't sure when the situation would reveal itself -- now was obviously that time. Before even one step was taken backwards, he had lifted himself back to a normal stand, edging forward just slightly with a hand reaching upwards to brush the chin of scantily clad woman that was nearly on top of him.   
  
"Oh I think kitties are _great_... " extremely sarcastic as always, but this time he was showing his discontent. It was obviously some sort of a trap -- floating red orbs don't exactly come across as a friendly gesture, especially with her proving to be the one that set him up.   
  
No matter to him though, he was at least partially used to this, and the looks of the one in front of him easily made up for her odd and deceitful tendencies. His eyes, while looking directly into hers for the most part, wandered to the orbs and surrounding area of them, perhaps to get some sort of read on whatever it was. He was always on guard and ready for action, even if most of the time he just seemed to be a careless jerk. His other hand took a position near the gun resting on his hip, but wouldn't draw. He'd wait for anything, and would much rather concentrate on ... her ...   
  
Though silken feeling below his fingertips was fairly cold; the warm touch of his own flesh seemed quite welcome by a hand clad in fingerless gloves, tapering to the oval red fingernails. Despite the frigid sheen of green eyes that locked quite easily upon Dante's own, there was a tenderness that failed to escape the grasping of his own hand. Isabella was smart enough to know he expected something, though; much less to say for those he probably faced before.  
  
Pursing the pair of heavy lips in the lamp light, a gentle breath blew through them, and the orbs of red seemed to melt downwards into the cement below, before creeping up in a dark streak that slithered up the Portuguese siren's leg, spiraled around the attenuate limb, circled about her abdomen and slithered up to her arm, then fingertips all in the split second between heartbeats; and now, two red eyes stared impassively face to face with the platinum haired man, before a mouth complete with a pair of enormous fangs coiled open, hissing. The woman on the other hand, took half of a step backwards with this, bracing herself.   
  
A smirk swept over the man's face -- not what he suspected, and impressed to say the least, "I don't doubt those cute fangs there hurt, but I'd much rather feel yours." Dante teased, not taking a step back though, instead his fingers flicked the holstered gun, Ivory, on his right side into his grip and proceeded to twirl it once before holding it directly in front of the jaws threatening him. The other hand was obviously thinking about drawing the other -- perhaps to the face of the opposing female,   
  
"But I'd prefer to not have to disfigure that pretty little face of yours, babe." He stood perfectly still, waiting ... he wasn't one to strike first, especially against something so attractive to him.   
  
"Do try if you feel the need. It's not worth my time to see you back down, Hunter." Ah, so she DID know. That was probably obvious, though, really. The fanged creature retracted into its vicinity, before leaping fully at the armed one's face - this time however, it seemed to have stopped completely in mid air, only for its black and violet swirl of a body to take the form of what appeared to be a dagger. With little warning thereafter, the creature flung itself at its target, while at the same time the young woman seemed to fall back and vanish into the shadows of the street - though she watched on with keen eyes as the diminutive beast attacked.   
  
As the relatively small creature jumped at him, Dante sprung backwards, shooting a solitary bullet directly into the mouth of the beast before it began to spin, obviously not slowing it down a bit. A small gap appeared in his mouth, but the determination in his eyes easily overcame this look of bewilderedness. All weight placed on one foot, he used all his lower body strength to propel himself into a roll and narrowly avoid the, blade ...? It seemed all very surprising -- but not strange to him. A shoulder was bruised, and back scraped, even through the shiny material covering his torso, as the bumps in the cement hindered his roll.   
  
The other gun was drawn and a continuous line of bullets was sent towards the small beast through alternating of triggers. He wasn't about to continue this sort of fight in the city though. He made his way back to where the other had retreated, and while he only knew the vicinity of where she was, he figured it was worth looking for her, what seemed to be the source of this beast.   
  
No words, however, instead, just a kick or shot towards wherever he thought she might be hiding. The shadow beast was most likely already about to attack again, and with attention being placed towards the female, the young man's guard couldn't have been nearly the same level as it had been when he was actually expecting such an attack. It seemed almost as if he provoked it, odd for him... Well ... Maybe not really with his, I'll- break-you-if-you-don't-talk attitude.   
  
The sound of something growling, small pools of black congealed along the ground before a pair of garbage cans were tossed in the Hunter's general direction. From out of the darkness darted that familiar female figure, dropped shoulder first along the ground as the blade slammed itself into the cement after the other leapt away. A slender hand retrieved what was the hilt of this weapon; the beast's tail, and continued with the roll as though she were fighting on sand. The ease of movement along a deeply blackened ground was ever so fluid; not a mark coming to her flawless complexion as she fell upright.  
  
Spidery digits splayed gently across the ground, she was parallel with it. One knee pressed into the wet cement below, the other leg extended out to the side, and the other hand grasping what looked like a dagger dripping with black. Apparently the feline beast was also used as a tangible weapon, as well. It was in this pose that she locked herself, motionless as though a statue, just green eyes boring towards the other.   
  
Taken by surprise, the red clad one tripped and crashed once again with the wet concrete, this time catching himself with ... his ass. It seemed as though the ground was the most comfortable place for the both of them. His guns were quickly placed back into the resting area on his hips, and his sword was drawn in a very slow manner for the pace of the fight, which had just been cut down to zero by off-beat-fighting-club woman over there. Dante smirked as his weapon was twirled -- a common occurrence it seemed, cockiness was an obvious pitfall of his, but it hadn't stopped him yet.   
  
"Don't you think you should put that down and just keep us both as pets?" Ooh, the witty one, wasn't he? No more fooling around from her, it seemed. His boots pressed against he ground and his stance showed to be a bit of an aggressive looking one.   
  
The shine of his hair reflecting the moonlight created the only glare in the area, so it seemed. It also told of his actions; as the light traveled upwards, so followed his body towards the other, arms preparing a strike to show off his strength to the 'little lady' ... or whatever her and that beast were.   
  
Dante's arms rose above his head and pulled downwards in a diagonal motion, right hand traveling from the left shoulder towards the right hip of his adversary, and any area in between. Whether it would hit her, the beast, or either was a good question since it wasn't really aimed towards either of them in particular, strength and balance being the only key factors in the attack.   
  
"Maybe. I've always wanted a **man** on a _leash_." A wry smirk came to cross over the woman's lips, wet hair clung to tanned visage. She was treating this more like a joke than any sort of serious battle, it seemed. Not expecting this advance, but ready for it nonetheless, the black-clad figure shifted her weight, pushing herself backwards with a tightening grip around the hilt of the shadow beast-dagger. For a brief moment, the weapon flared with a noir substance, and elongated slightly in length. While it was nothing in comparison to the blade that the other had, it was wielded fluidly and with ease as though it were designed for her.  
  
Drawn up with one hand, the weapons intercepted each other - grating of steel against -- shadow? Unfortunately as things would have it, his force coming down was far superior to hers going up. At the collision, her arm jerked backwards, and against the black top she was sent skidding. Clothing tore as her back collided with the ground and moved along it with grinding force, and blade was lifted from grip and flung off into the shadows somewhere - though the sound of four paws hitting the wet surface replaced the clatter of a blade, and she was already starting to get up for more.   
  
It took a moment for the hunter to regain his composure after his strike, even if it had been somewhat successful. A small adjustment to his hair as his blade was lifted to be placed back into it's place upon his back, but just before it was set to rest, his eye caught sight of her ... getting to her feet. His eyes widened for just a short moment along with a brow rising just slightly. She was certainly an odd one. His sword was once again drawn, but this time he stood still. His front boot slid forward into a puddle, and a small shimmer of light reflected around his cold looking face. No words were spoken on his side, just a soft grunt of astonishment -- this chic didn't seem like all that tough of a person, but there's something to be said for the fact that she's wielding a shadow of a cat in a formidable way. The young man's eyes could be seen shifting around even when obscured by his champagne hair -- he seemed slightly worried.   
  
Perhaps it was due to the fact that the weapon could be roaming around on it's own, and perhaps attack him on it's own. His eyes were once again fixed to the black garbed female, and a slight twist in his lips showed a man who both enjoyed danger, and was slightly intimidated by someone he'd least expect to be.   
  
Odd as she may have been, Isabella was already on her feet again, and without a weapon in her hand. The twist in his visage offered a relaxation of her own it seemed, and with a single fluid motion pressing forward into space, she lunged towards the red-clad man; the tears of her clothing posing not to bother her.   
  
Red eyes hung back in the shadows, however, the creature sat solemnly below the lights to watch its wielder as she moved in swiftly. A deft movement of her left hand flickered it into the air, and thrust the appendage forward as she closed the gap between the two. And yet still, her expression was playfully harmless, but the elongation of pretty red fingernails was something completely different. Faster than her body moved, the lengthened claws aimed themselves towards no particular destination on her opponent's body, but much like the strike he posed towards her.  
  
"You're calm, _hunter_. I like that."   
  
There was no gun drawn, as well as a lowering of his sword in preparation to stop her with a punch to her stomach, Dante wasn't nearly prepared to protect himself from the stabbing claws of hers. This done, due to being in sheer surprise of her lunge without any visible armament, although the "sweet"-talking man would probably say he refused to seriously injure such a beauty (he'd probably have to get a new set of morals if that was the case). Without such a guard, he not surprisingly stabbed in some of the areas the nail happened to find on his being. His reaction time was perhaps the only thing which could save his face from being completely skewered as he pulled himself down sideways -- as for the rest of his body... His hand remained fixed on his sword, and strength still in his arm, no thought even being given to the guns, not when she was near him anyways.   
  
But he managed to move in time, as those claws seemed to nip the very ends of his coat as he moved downwards and away. It was as though metal had been shot through the concrete below, as the claws collided with the blacktop, a cold chink sounded, followed by what seemed to be the sheathing of a blade, and two hard heels falling onto the surface below. That didn't stop the woman from following up, though. Instead the opposite hand wound around some of the free flowing cinnamon hair at her shoulder.   
  
A group of strands found themselves twirled about a pair of attenuate digits. Without a second thought, her thumb shifted against the strands which immediately detached themselves from the rest of the hair and formed a glistening point; a needle shape that was quickly drawn into a wielding position, and thrown as though a miniature javelin, towards him.  
  
" Oh come on now -- **do** something! Don't go easy on me because I'm a _girl_."   
  
Scrambling to his feet, Dante and moved away from her again. She had a plethora of weapons which he couldn't have even imagined. Debating drawing his gun to deflect the needle coming towards him, it seemed unlikely that he could have shot it with such precision. His sword was brought up to deflect it from his heart, which whether or not it was, seemed to be the intended target. Amazing aim.  
  
A piercing sound was made as it instead flew to his upper shoulder in a diagonal path. A small splurt of blood was visible, as his breath became heavier, visible and audible now as well. He smirked in response to her little play on words .... He doubted she was a girl. But whatever he thought, he made a dash towards before leaping directly at her with his sword, lunging it towards the center of her chest, however the strength and commitment to his blow was not all that it could have been. He still seemed to be holding back slightly,   
  
"Don't think that you'll get special treatment just because I'm kind of taking to you." He said with a pant, after he had already come down towards her.   
  
By now, Isabella was looking somewhat disappointed with the other's performance. She knew of her own strength, and while a great deal of her attacks relied on wiles and cunning as well as swiftness, she would have been no match for the strength of the other. The next blow was a good sign, but certainly lacking in terms of commitment, as was easily read by the Hispanic young woman.  
  
Just as the blade drove homeward, she moved. One lunging side-step, and she had allowed the sole of her boot to fall flat on the whole of his shadow. Both slender hands cupped by her hip, and into existence formed a blade of black, shaped and crafted in the same general design as that the Hunter wielded. The rest of her weight following through to draw her other foot around, the two now ended up standing back to back - he visibly winded, while she had yet to show sign of fault. The shadow-blade was merely held, humming in position.  
  
"I know you are capable of more than this,_ hunter_. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wasted my time seeking you. Or perhaps I was wrong for once... and maybe I should put you out of your misery ... " And now, the playfulness fled from her voice. A deadly articulation of words, and it seemed the games were over with.  
  
" It's a shame, though. I enjoy the sound of your voice." Not turning around, the young man took a quick deep breath. His wound no longer bore any blood, in fact it had stopped just after it was inflicted.... his breathing while quite visible, did not mean he had no energy left. Surprisingly, it seemed as though his body recovered much quicker than the average person, but then again, as the woman had stated, he wasn't quite that. A soft chuckle was offered as smirk climbed to his face yet again,  
  
"You're pretty impressive, but you're even more arrogant than me." Well, that comment was doubtful, and his blade would definitely have to prove that he actually had some skill... especially if he wanted to keep his date for the night.  
  
Dante pulled his sword from the ground with a sharp movement, spinning around was necessary due to the force of his pulling and weight of the sword, as well as having a desire to actually face his opponent. A horizontal slash was made during this spin that was intended to, although not aimed directly at, to meet with the shadow of his own blade, which, while he had not seen, he had felt it's humming. That was not the end of his attack, whatever the consequences of his blow were.   
  
His body was already in what seemed to be a practiced motion. A swift upwards slash made by winding his arm behind his back, and striking with all the force he could muster in one arm. He was no longer afraid to slash at her -- her powers were much more than what he had believed and the threat to his life was becoming all the more apparent; he'd just trust that her powers were sufficient to save her body for a nice bite to eat afterwards, or something. That smile stayed on his face for the duration of his attack, which appeared to just be moving into another phase. He surely had a few tricks up his sleeve.   
  
This was what Isabella wanted to see. Not taking the moment to think twice about defending herself, the shadow blade was risen to protect the soft human flesh of her body, but as expected his physical strength was indeed superior. The rotation and force of his own blade against hers knocked her hands sideways, forcing her forward somewhat before the deft upwards motion of his weapon was met with the sound of splitting clothing and flesh under its force. For a moment, a slight amount of panic flushed over the black-clad form of the young woman, feeling the solid ground below her feet disappear and her thin frame launched into the night air.   
  
An audible sound from the force, her grip on the shadow blade loosened to nothing, and mid-air it seemed to shatter from existence. From the contact point at her side, a deep crimson, almost black lurched from what was now a gaping wound at her side, before she felt the cold black top once again, this time on her back in collision upon landing, but all the same a smile had formed across black-stained lips. Just as quickly as the deep crimson flooded over her, however, was it that it seemed to rewind in time, going back to which it came, and nothing but a hole in her clothing remained - flesh smooth as could be. However, the shock against the ground was enough to leave her stunned for a moment.  
  
Red orbs rose in the shadows again, followed by several other pairs of gleaming crimson orbs in other locations. A distinct, low growl resounded in the darkness.   
  
As Dante's body was about to move into another stabbing motion, he couldn't help but notice the red orbs, as well as a sound similar to large, angry ... beasts. This didn't seem to be leaning in his direction, but of course he kept his shit-eating grin. Next to his eyes came the sight of her regeneration. What was is, another like me? he thought.   
  
His attacks ceased for the moment, however he was in no way ready to surrender ... merely checking all the courses of action he could take. His red leather coat was pushed out of his way, as the wind blew from behind him, and he advanced forwards ever so slowly, cautiously.   
  
"You're quite the surprise now, aren't ya? What else can I do for you tonight, I'll keep adding holes if you like."   
  
"Heh. Maybe some other time -- " A slender, feminine hand rose as several creatures, perhaps four times the size of the first began to creep into the light, their eyes glimmering with impassive hue. At this signal, they stopped and sat in their places. Shifting her weight around until she rested with her side to the ground, the risen hand placed on her head, Isabella shook it for a moment to get rid of the dizziness that came with the body of a human. Her other hand rose to swipe across her lips, no longer stained in black 'blood', before peering up for a moment from her place on the ground. She already knew the stories of this man, but had to see it for herself. She was sure, had she the patience to carry on with this, that she would see much more impressive action from him, but for now this was good enough.  
  
Without waiting much longer she stood up again, brushing off her ripped clothing and kneeling down to fetch the smaller black creature that had slinked in from the shadows, cradling it as though it were your ordinary housecat, and stroking it under its chin. When she was at her full height again, she offered a cockeyed glance towards the white-haired man, and a nod of respect - a smile still playing across her lips.  
  
"It's a pleasure, hunter. And what you can do for me tonight, can be better discussed in my home. " She paused in thought for a moment, before offering a somewhat half-hearted chuckle in his general direction. "And this time, no surprises for you. I've seen what I wanted to see -- but one thing." Always one more thing, wasn't it? Isabella shifted again, this time to fully face Dante, canting her head gently to the side, and offering a nod towards his sword.   
  
"Your swing is a little slow..."  
  
Dante stopped mid stride. The look on his face altered to some form of annoyance and intrigue ... An odd combination, but look at the source. He could only eye the beasts, and subsequently ignore them. She seemed like she was actually getting down to business now. A toss of his hand in one direction to show his acceptance of what she had put him through... though in truth it was just for show. The sword lowered at his side, and soon sheathed on his back he offered,   
  
"The name's Dante... I hope what you show me is as good as this was..." A smirk to her chuckle, and he was back to his old ways -- he didn't keep many grudges against people who would be paying him ... In one way or another. He gave but a quick nod disregarding her comment on his swing, and stared at her with his head cocked to the side. He laughed as he held a hand out allowing her to lead the way to her house.   
  
"We'll see..."   
  
  
  



	3. Lair of the Black Cat

_Black Cat  
Nine lives   
Short days   
Long nights   
Livin' on the edge   
Not afraid to die   
Heart beat   
Real strong   
But not   
For long   
Better watch your step   
Or you're gonna die  
~ Black Cat, Janet Jackson_  
  


**Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Two  
  
_Lair of the Black Cat_  
[By Ultema and Guo]

Forgive the fact that the woman had no spectacular ride. Believe it or not, she had no motorcycle, no car, not even a lowered Honda Civic to call her own. Instead, the mode of transportation to the designated area happened to have been public - a late night bus, empty as could be, taken through the artificially lit streets to a large building. There were several mailboxes, and a number of doorbells, including an intercom at the front door. It was a nice neighborhood at least, but the quarters seemed somewhat cramped, as it was just a fancy apartment complex.   
  
Isabella led the way, despite the rips in her clothing now filled up with the creature she had carried, its form spread across her body like a thin sheet of liquid latex, up a set of winding stairs towards the penthouse suite. Having retrieved her keys from what she shrugged off as her 'date' to the kind old lady downstairs offering home made cookies, the woman rattled them in the door and pushed it open. The darkness that hung within was thick - even the lights outside did not permeate the curtains, and a single candle was lit as a source of light for now. This was her stalking time -- when she felt most alive. The darkness was a second home, and she felt like keeping it that way.  
  
"Well, make yourself at home. If you're hungry or anything, let me know. The bathroom is down the hall and to your right, and please; don't touch anything. If you have a question, just ask." Through a door she vanished, and it creaked shut behind her.   
  
Not looking surprised at any of her living quarters -- it always seemed that the richest were the weirdest; and offering only a glare to the other lady, Dante was friendly, but not at times like these. He couldn't help but laugh to himself quietly when she spouted orders at him, but it made sense ... In some way. Standing still and just taking in the feel of the room as she walked away, he soon turned towards the nearest place to sit, after all, it gets a bit tiring being up all night.   
  
Dante flopped himself down in the nearest chair and leaned back. He debated moving the chair to a place where he could prop his feet up, but he was too lazy to, well ... get lazy. A sigh was let out from the man. He was completely healed now, just as she appeared to be. Not even his clothing seemed torn. His head fell back, and his eyes were almost about to close for a nice nap. Of course, that wouldn't work.   
  
It wasn't long before his client emerged again, seeming to take her own sweet time in whatever it was that she needed to tell him, poor guy. A trip to the kitchen only elicited two thin, elegant glasses to be brought out, before Isabella took a seat opposite of him. Her clothing was changed, something much more -- well okay, maybe not practical, but it was devoid of holes in any case. It looked like maybe the outfit she had worn to work earlier in the day; black and white. Short skirt, long jacket. She was that type, though. The thin glass of strong-scented liquid, most likely some sort of expensive wine, offered towards her guest. The place was filled with shadows, but lacking red orbs. That was one good thing, anyway.   
  
"Let me get straight to the point. I'm sure you know that I'm different from the general populace..."   
  
Boy that was an understatement. Dante lifted his left leg to cross over the other while taking a sip of the wine, he almost trusted her ... or at least trusted his abilities enough now.   
  
".. I wasn't positive.. " Sarcasm, his best friend, "But come on, what do you want from me, already? .. What could be too much for... you .. to handle?" He said that line with a ghost of a grin, and shifted in his seat slightly. Glancing around the room, it seemed a bit odd, even though apparently normal … He couldn't make anything specific out, however.  
  
"Well anyway. I can obviously handle myself against the every day moron, but I've been around for five-hundred years -- " Five-hundred years. Isabella didn't look a day over twenty-five. The Portuguese woman lowered her attention to her glass, and took a sip, before returning her attention to her guest, once more allowing her shoulders to droop. She, too, crossed a leg and rested against the soft cushion behind her back,   
  
"I'm not like you, either, really. I've been stuck in this damn world for five centuries, all because of a couple of problems back when I was..." Er, still alive? Fun way of making that sound. Her voice trailed off for a moment, before rising again on a different portion of the sentence. She didn't feel as though she had to be coy around this one -- this sort of thing was his job.   
  
"At any rate, I'm the kind of person your kind lives to get rid of, after all. I figured you'd be the best person to ask to help me out with this problem -- I'm sick of being here. I've seen so much, and lost so much more... I'm tired of it all -- and I just want it all to end... but it won't. Not until some condition is met ..." Conditions. It was popular for people of the fifteen hundreds to be slain for their connections with curses, possessions or witchcraft, and her history was plagued by it. This wouldn't surface, at least not for now, as he wanted the root of the problem.   
  
"I need an old trinket from back home to help with this. It sounds like a stupid request, I know ... but if it were as easy as I would like it to be, I wouldn't be asking you this right now ... "   
  
Ah yes, demon in the body, Dante had heard it all before... ok, maybe he hadn't, but it wasn't like he was in disbelief -- it all sounded reasonable. Hilariously enough, being hired to kill the one that hired you doesn't usually make much sense, but this was definitely a special case ... Still, some things seemed unanswered,   
  
"That's a lot to ask, but it should be doable, babe, as much as I'd hate to see you go-- He let out an innocent laugh. It didn't seem to him that all was revealed, but he wasn't going to ask questions as long as he didn't need to know.   
  
"I understand; and is there any payment? ... Or just one of those, 'I won't kill you if you help me' deals?" Obviously confident in his own abilities, Dante wasn't truly concerned with that aspect if it even existed. Shifting positions again, he leaned forward towards her, elbows on both of his knees, awaiting her response.   
  
"You can have everything I own; I won't be needing any of this after it's all done, after all ... I have no next of kin to inherit it, so it would only make sense if you were to have it." Isabella replied tactfully. She didn't seem interested in the killing part, at least not with this one. It was most likely because of the fact that she did, indeed, need his help. There wouldn't be a use for a corpse ... especially since he would more than likely taste fairly bad, considering his occupation. True enough, she hadn't let him in on everything, but since when would a demon hunter need to know the details about his prey? Despite her requests, she seemed slightly uneasy about it all.   
  
" And I appreciate this, for what it's worth. "   
  
"Well, you've got yourself a hunter... and, it's my pleasure." Even if she was a demon, he liked her style. Relaxing back in his chair, Dante could only occasionally glanced towards her and made eye contact. He seemed almost concerned with the way that she appeared upset with his comment, perhaps he'd lay off the hard ass comments for now, and just enjoy the wine, and the company which he didn't have to defend himself from. It was quite a feeling.  
  
Isabella offered a to the red clad man adjacent of her, and then her attention swiftly fell to the watch that rested upon her left wrist. The silence was there, all the same, except for perhaps the ticking of the particularly old looking grandfather clock on the far-most right wall. No longer taking care to use dainty little sips from her glass, the last bit of wine was finished off in a single swilling gulp, and the glass placed down lightly on the marble-topped table to her left.   
  
"Ah, I have some 'business' to take care of -- I'll be back in the morning, though. You're welcome to use my room, but if you don't feel -- comfortable ..." The Portuguese female shifted bright green eyes in the general direction of the hunter, then towards the corridor to the room she came from just minutes earlier. " ... You're welcome to stay here in this room. Make yourself comfortable, but -- don't break anything. The security in this suite is -- rather tight."   
  
With this, Isabella lifted herself from the black leather seat squeaking under the weight of the push to move her upwards and stalked towards the coat rack.   
  
A single platinum eyebrow was raised in response to the obviously skilled drinker, and attempted to match, perhaps to show he was strong as well, or perhaps just because he was an asshole, Dante's teeth showed on one side as his mouth took the form of a grin, taking his relatively full glass of wine down in a single breath, only to be followed by slight cough and shaking off, getting back down to business. Taken by surprise with her recent intentions, Dante offered a bit of his amazing sarcastic humor ... with a bit of seriousness in his voice,   
  
"I see how it is. Just feeding the cats?" At least that's how it seemed to him, "Hah, I'm surprised you'd trust anyone alone in your house ... especially one you've just met... one like _me_." He rose from his chair soon after she had, in order to cut her off at the doorway. "I'll leave you to your business ... but, I trust you'll actually inform me of a few more details later... for all I know, you could be preparing to backstab me ... of course ... I don't mind... " He chuckled slightly, grinning towards her as if waiting for a goodbye kiss or something.   
  
"You, hunter, are the only person I have ever offered an inch of trust to in this life." Isabella whispered, response swift despite the abrupt cutting off of her path, though she reached around him and grasped the furred collar of an expensive-looking black coat from the mahogany stakes of the coat hanger. Tossing the coat around her shoulders as though it were a cloak, she offered a sidelong glance to her houseguest. That smile just read 'kick my ass, please?' all over it. But for now, she'd pass the temptation.   
  
A shift in her weight, rising upon the tips of classy high heels, and a feathery contact of full, cinnamon lips against the side of his face -- not a kiss by any chance, more like the kind of action a cat takes by brushing its head against the newest member of the room, looking to be pet by the outstretched hand.   
  
"If I were planning to backstab you, your spine would be laying where your shadow resides ... now if you will excuse me, I should ... _feed the cats_..." And with that, she brushed gently aside of him, and continued towards the door, before in a moment's expiration, it closed behind her as she made her exit.   
  
A small 'hmph' was let out from the platinum haired man, and his feet brought him back to the couch he was originally sitting at. Plopping down and relaxing with his feet up, he soon caught a glimpse of something which appeared a bit out of the ordinary... as ordinary as a house owned by a demon, of what kind he was still unsure of. He seemed relatively at ease for staying in the place, too, even with what seemed to be eyes, watching him -- almost encouraging one to leave things alone... didn't stop him though. The shiny area which had attracted him was coming from the grandfather clock. He was up and fiddling with it in no time. .. getting a bit frustrated he debated pulling his sword out and just breaking the damn thing ... but he'd refrain for now.   
  
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. Well, perhaps all was fairly normal with the clock -- it didn't even have any strange demonic symbols on it, like an upside down pentagram or anything. It was just a cedar grandfather clock, with a steel pendulum and a cute little bird in it. Well, almost completely normal. Shiny things were always something to attract people -- and there was definitely something shiny in there -- but that wasn't the only thing. There were other "shinies" abound. Ones that blinked, ones that moved, and ones that even seemed to cling and crawl up Dante's arm, then disappear in the light. Even a pair of floating red shinies were around his boots, that mewed and pawed at his pants and fooled around with strings.   
  
As a matter of fact, it was almost impossible to see things in this place; it was completely flooded in darkness. There were no lamps, either. Small candles rested on stands here and there, and the blinds were heavy, blocking out all traces of light.   
  
Deciding perhaps it wasn't best to mess with the larger, more noticeable things, Dante moved to the table and began looking through her mail, pawed through the trinkets on her bookcase, accidentally letting a couple fall into his coat pocket (after all, if he was to "inherit" all of this anyways, what's wrong with taking a few shiny things now), basically looking for anything to reveal a bit more about this woman. Soon after taking a bit of whatever reading material there was laying around, he started nosing around her kitchen ... after all, you get hungry fighting ... and you could always learn a thing or two by knowing what a person liked to eat...   
  
Ah, the kitchen. A room full of rather nice scents, from wine to what seemed to be either a cake or something of the like residing under the metal tin on the cabinet closest to the sink on the wall straight ahead. Now this all looked finely placed, and it was obvious that organization was a big part of his client's life. While there was a light bulb in the overhead light, it looked as though the switch hadn't been flipped in years. Candles rested on several areas in here, too. From the stove area tucked behind the refrigerator (which looked like big enough that even he could walk straight into it), to the door where the pantry was located, holding a number of unusual spices, it was all ... normal. A fair amount of Spanish foods, but that was to be expected. Perhaps the curious thing was the pile of books researching cannibalism, right next to the phone and on top of a few bits of literature on making roast an art.   
  
Dante's eyes shifted back and forth between the various sites around him ... it was still hard to get used to being followed around by ... pairs of eyes ... But what else was new? He was all about the weird ones. Without much thought, he followed his stomach to pick up the tin and bring it with him to the huge refrigerator, opening each, respectively. Surely he could find something to sooth that flat, growling, almost anorexic looking stomach of his. All the while being quite cautious, he didn't want to get stuck inside that fridge like it was a meat locker for holding bodies or anything. A quick glance to his right back side, everything seemed to be making noise, yet there wasn't really any distinct sounds -- he also didn't want to get caught by her, had this been some sort of strange, messed up demon test. Slowly he returned his gaze to the open door in front of him as well as the tin he still held in his hand.   
  
The natives were restless, as shadows may very well be, but aside from the occasional brushing of the leg, it seemed that these dark, red-eyed kitties were quite tame. Well, maybe except for the one perched high on the top of the 'meat locker' that barreled down to the floor with a heavy thump, directly aside of the nosing houseguest.   
  
Much to his luck, though, this larger beast had simply alighted beside him, settling on its haunches with its ears pinned back, large black teeth exposed and watching with keen interest, intent on studying every single move. Several more pairs of eyes seemed to materialize out of the darkness, and the cold swirl of air from within the opened door, it seemed to lead back quite a bit farther than the room itself extended. Was that possible? Well ... one would have to consider where they were. It was mostly white frost, dark, with a few normal things right up in front -- but as it went on, it seemed to become black in the distance. Now, how normal is it to have a cavern in your refrigerator?   
  
Having nearly dropped the tin in his hands and shooting just about everything around him when the large.. "cat" jumped down near him, Dante just turned right around and shut the door to the refrigerator, leaning against it like there was something inside about to bite him ... which there probably was. He decided to give up looking for food in this little outpost of hell. Whatever he looked at seemed to just look back at him, only meaner.   
  
No, it was time for sleep now ... Dante was almost sure she'd be back within the night, and he probably shouldn't be asleep for that ... but ... a nap couldn't hurt, that much, anyways. A mind needs to rest, especially when it's being prodded at by just it's surroundings ... Relaxing in bed, sleep on couch -- tough decision, but maybe he could get a nice one of those shadow cat things to cuddle up next to him in bed, if they were warm, anyways ... Either way, how dangerous could her bedroom be?   
  
His boots got quite annoying with their constant clanging against her floor, and soon his feet were able to breath again. Her bedroom was offered to him, so he didn't hesitate to enter... nor shuffle around through a drawer or two, clothing, trinkets, he wondered what she kept; what was actually important to her. Perhaps shed some light on why all these damn shadow things liked her.   
  
Just like all the other rooms, this one was lit by a single set of candles on a large mahogany vanity. Though unlike the ones of modern times, this piece of wood seemed quite antique - as did each of the beautiful oil paintings on the walls that surrounded a bed that looked as though it were the temple of the goddess of a Virgin Wild. It was placed in the middle of the spacious room, a canopy of soft white chiffon hung around placid white sheets, tumbled across the floor in pools that flittered with the light entering through a small crack in the blinds.   
  
Each wooden item, from the posts to the vanity, and the dressers nearby were well cared for and oiled. The paintings were indeed originals, paint chipping away on the edges. A number of those seemed to depict the owner herself, but couldn't have been much younger than a few hundred years old. A group of men and women together, the young woman in the middle looking somewhat forlorn, others by herself with a black kitten in her lap, or just a portrait shot or two.   
  
Drawers were filled with books of Portuguese mythology, diaries filled with yellowed paper where the handwriting remained the same throughout, and newer ones with the same writing as well. Clothing consisted of the usual businesswoman wear, from skirts to slacks, button downs and the occasional tie. Overall, the whole room itself had the nostalgic scent of antique musk.   
  
Making himself comfortable, Dante removed his jacket and overly annoying articles of clothing, remaining however, were his guns; sword placed down beside him. There were some usual things indeed; he was not surprised by some of the more confusing items, such as the paintings … more, intrigued. It did seem as though he should trust her, after all, she thinks she could have killed him if she wanted. So, why not? All possibilities of bluffing put aside -- he was too tired to think of such nonsense.   
  
Grabbing one of the books on Portuguese mythology, he decided to brush up on a few interesting facts he might be able to use. Flipping through pages, sure to stop on any that might be considered useful or relevant, he slowly edged his way to the bed, which he sat on top of. It wasn't long, however, until he was essentially lying on it. Brushing his hair back out of his eyes, even if only for a brief moment, he concentrated on some of tales in the book. It had been a while since he had slept in a woman's bed ... a lot longer than he normally could stand. Yeah, what a womanizer ... or, at least he thought he was.   
  
The books themselves contained yellowed pages - crisp from time and wear, and one page in particular seemed to have been crumbled and worn. "O Vento Da Morte" was the title -- The Wind of Death. The sub caption below read "Rei Da Sombra" -- the Shadow King.  The words were fading from the page, however, making it difficult to see them. Here and there, words were easy to distinguish, and the quick of mind would be able to place them together with little problem.   
  
And there was that small creature he had met at first when his host decided to reveal herself. Clamoring up the silky surface of the cool, satin sheets, the black, red-eyed creature flopped upon the bed and limped its way over towards the prone form of the white-haired man.  Taking the moment to assess its position, the shadowy form flopped its oversized paws down, pressed tightly up against the side of the stranger in its master's bed, chin leaned against the top of its paws. ... Purring.  
  
Being startled a bit, Dante felt his heart beat quicker for a moment when yet another shadow had rubbed against him. This time, however, he somehow did recognize this beast from before. It was almost out of instinct to pet it, but, most likely a wise choice, he refrained from immediately doing so, or stuffing a hand right in its face. Reading a bit more of what seemed to be the layman's encyclopedia to household demons, he made a few assumptions about his lovely, absent hostess. Still, the questions as to how she knew of him, despite him being oh so popular, was beyond him.   
  
Lying back, he didn't retreat to underneath her covers, but his mind was drifting. He must have seemed like a child there; a white-haired grown child in red leather. Either way, he trusted her for the moment ... it could have easily been a mistake on his part, but his involvement with her and this job wasn't going anywhere if he didn't. And so he let his mind drift off a bit... even dozing off, awaiting her return to ask a few more questions -- her book still on his chest, and quite obvious he had gone through a few of her things, including dresser ... but if her cat (?) was comfortable with him ... why wouldn't she be?   
  
  
  


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Author's Notes: Yes, yes, more is on the way as usual. I'm lazy proofreading and editing, so it may take a while. :P The story is still continuing production wise, but we're a good deal ahead of the uploading process. XD It's just going to be a whiiiiile before we get to that point, plus it's hard to find fitting songs for the openings of chapters. XD; 


	4. Shadows of Secrets

_Yugamu tuki Kakimushitta Muneno naka Sawagi tateru   
Tuminante Iukanjou Nugisutete Oreha nemuru   
Noisy Noisy Silent Night   
Chyuuto hanpana ikikataja Orega kiete yukisouni naru   
Nukumoriya yasashisaha iranai   
WARU na mewokorashi Asunoemono niranda   
  
(Twisted moon, gather up the cries   
that my inner feelings have raised..   
How can I escape from   
The sins of my past?   
Leaving my sins behind   
I want to fall asleep   
Noisy, Noisy, Silent Night   
If I ever reach the halfway point to madness   
Myself, running alongside the stream of life   
I don't need warm feelings or love   
I just need myself   
Casting a look of evil   
And glaring at my future enemies.)   
~Waru: Bad Blood, Valgaav; the Slayers._   


  
  
**Luce ed Ombra**   
Chapter Three  
  
  
_Shadows of Secrets_  
[By Ultema and Guo]

  
  
  
Being tired has its effects on the body; regardless if the mind wishes to wake before certain things happen, sometimes the body refuses it. The hands of the grandfather clock spun to several hours passed that in which the white-haired Hunter's eyes shut before drifting off in the comfort of the shadowed home, seemingly protected from the black creatures that roamed and inhabited every corner of it. The sun glittered through the blinds, trickling off the material of the canopy's curtains about the large bed, and the shadow figure beside the new houseguest had become an almost transparent gray.   
  
Two coats were on the hanger; one red, one black. Two pairs of shoes neatly placed by the door - one a pair of boots, the other some fancy high heels. Everything seemed in order - candle light blown out, shadows dismal and gray. A newspaper lay prone across the table in the kitchen with its bold headline, but what would you know, that the shifty-eyed hostess would be settled in the same bed as the hunter, back towards him. Certainly, that had some level of trust to it, didn't it?   
  
Not as though there could be anything done to her, though. Face buried into the soft texture of the pillow below, the rest of her draped in a satiny garb that disappeared below the sheets that were pulled up to Isabella's shoulders. Chestnut hair pooled idly about her head -- peaceful respite. She breathed like a normal human, tossed and turned like a normal human, but that was not the case.   
  
The young man, still wearing most of his clothes on top of the covers, had resorted at some point in time to the ultra comfortable position -- his head pressed into the bedcovers, one arm below his body, legs sprawled with his back twisted in a way that made him seem more like a marionette than a normal person. As a slight bit of sun shined near his eye, and his body felt completely rested, a soft … well, more like a loud, beastly grunt was let out as he pulled himself up only to find the one he was "waiting up" for, beside him.   
  
Interesting, to say the least. Deciding not to wake her up, Dante obviously stumbled out of bed making noise both from the sound of the coils of the bed being depressed, and his big feet landing on the floor below. A quick bob of his head allowed for his hair to ... remain in the same exact position it was the day before, and him to assure himself that he didn't have a hangover, or any signs of tampering with his pants, by him or another. Satisfied, he could only sit back down and yawn relatively loudly, without much consideration to the one near him -- he was used to living alone, when he was actually living in a house. At least he was still alive, he thought. It was a good sign. His eyes shifted over to the other... something was just.... different about her -- hidden from his eyes, he could only guess.   
  
There was a flutter at Isabella's eyes upon the noise. Resting at half-mast, a pair of green lenses were visible in the pale daylight creeping through the cracks in the blinds. For a moment, she merely scrunched herself up tightly, before rolling over sideways. One hand falling free of the covers and landing with a soft thud beside the houseguest, the other draping itself over her eyes, there was a gentle grunt of her own, before she turned her head just enough to peer from the corner of one eye towards her ever gracious guest. Oh yes, ever gracious. Without so much as a good morning, there was the offering that sounded like something between a groan, and a whine, and the soft covers were hauled up and over the top of her head.   
  
Dante chortled as he lifted himself off the bed to look for a bit of food to eat. He was still hungry from the night before, and that's when he remembered. Eating in this house came with a price -- like, your self being eaten by beasts. Instead he slowly began wandering through her place, looking at those mythological books again. Even if she was what he thought, that couldn't have been all. It didn't seem as though she'd have the desire to die, if she was. There was something more - something familiar, but, he wasn't going to waste time thinking about it; he'd ask her when the time came. For now, he squeaked through the apartment some more... perhaps some food was left unguarded, or maybe she'd be nice enough to make a little food … didn't she have to eat?   
  
It wasn't before long that Isabella emerged from the ethereal room, somewhat disheveled in appearance, but also awake -- to some extent anyway. She didn't appear the kind of person you'd want to bother first thing in the morning, though. Bare feet shuffled quietly over the top of the cold floor towards the monstrous refrigerator, and pulled out a carton of -- blood?!   
  
No.   
  
Milk.   
  
She carried herself over towards a cupboard, rummaged around here and there a bit, and then just stood there, having forgotten what exactly she was looking for. One hand rose to press against the side of her left temple, before the pre-breakfast snack was grabbed -- a cigarette, milk carton forgotten on the cupboard for the time being as she moved through the apartment towards the sliding glass doors beyond the pantry, and stepped outside in her night clothing. Maybe this'd clear her mind.   
  
As she had walked out, Dante couldn't help but just stare at her, not on purpose, nor in an extremely noticeable manner. Instead, his eyes peered at her from the sides while his head faced in a slightly different direction. As soon as she had left, he had made his way over to the milk. Look. Sniff. Taste. Yep, milk. Well, most likely ... close enough. He left, carton in hand, to where she had gone. It was still quite cold out for the sun had not yet gotten a chance to warm up the earth below.   
  
So peaceful, and yet evil was everywhere, even in the beauty of the sunrise. The man took a long drink from the carton and leaned against the outside of the apartment, just looking at her.   
  
"It's nice out, isn't it? Almost make you want to call this whole thing off I bet... but I know where you're coming from ... I think I know what you are, but not what you could possibly need from me ... why, exactly, am I here?" He actually seemed completely serious for the first time since they met, and still, he didn't give a thought to the fact that she might have morning breath, and be grumpy.   
  
"Why are we all here?" A long inhalation of the cigarette in hand, then blown out in a perfect loop into the morning air, Isabella flickered her finger against the cigarette -- the ashen end flittering off into the breeze as she placed it back into her mouth. It was a while before she turned to face the man, leaning her back against the wall that enclosed her balcony, looking over the rest of the dawning city from a lovely, aerial perch.   
  
"I've seen so many mornings just like this. So many sunrises just like this. It might be nice, but it's nothing new ..." Oddly enough, Isabella put a hand in the deep pocket of one side of her clothing, pulling out a long, thin piece of paper and handing it to her newfound companion, accomplice, partner, roommate, and subsequent inheritor-of-all; a round trip ticket to Portugal.  
  
"This is part of what I need your help with, hunter. I need a little trinket from back home, but unfortunately, I can't get it by myself. I need another -- someone like you. And you're probably here because --" Another pause as the cigarette was lifted from her lips again, flickered, then tossed nonchalantly over the side of the balcony, and once more a ring was blown.  
  
"You're getting paid."   
  
That answered all of his questions, a smirk shown in return.   
  
"Good enough... I guess I can stay in the dark ... I won't lie to you though, I'm actually concerned for you. I'm sure you've gone through some tough shit." Boy, that was just heart warming, wasn't it? -- but his intentions were good.  
  
"So... Portugal." Dante seemed quite intrigued, as though he'd never been there before. Not much more was offered from him, however. He merely turned back inside and stared at the cupboards, hoping for good food to appear. He'd leave her alone for now... either she was hurt a lot deeper than he thought, or she just wasn't a morning person.  
  
The glass doors slid closed again a few minutes after the red-clad man had entered into the warmer areas of the kitchen. Only the sound of bare feet against the tiled floor as the nightgown clad woman moved by silently, stopping before the refrigerator again, and opening it. The keen eye would catch the lack of extreme depth that was present before hand within the cold compartment, curiously enough. A glance sent here and there over the surface of whatever was within, then turning her attention curiously over her shoulder towards her guest. A question mark seemed to surface on her forehead, taking another quick glance at the inside of her icebox, before closing it again and making her way around to the seat of the nearby table, and plucked up the newspaper. Disregarding the screaming headlines on the first page of a grizzly, brutal homicide, she merely flipped through with a distinct lack of interest.  
  
"Aren't you hungry? You didn't eat anything ..."   
  
It took a bit while for Dante to look up; he was obviously deep in thought. Either that, or he found it hard to respond to the sarcasm, which he found in her statement. His partially obscured eyes had been fixed upon the refrigerator from the time she looked to him. Switching back and forth between the two once or twice, he leaned his head back and to the side, inhaling a bit prematurely -- as it took him a second with his mouth open before he spoke,   
  
".... I couldn't find anything." At least it was the truth, he couldn't quite figure out how the fridge had changed, or how he managed to dream such a thing. This whole house was a bit strange.   
  
Eyes glanced over the headlines on the paper, he was semi-interested, but generally found the gossip-like trashy papers to be a better place to look for jobs (if things were tight). He still had a few things on his mind, however, such as what seemed to be a pet, sleeping near him.   
  
"Now, I may have just dreamt this babe, but, I could've sworn something was sleeping next to me... besides you, of course..." A smirk formed on his face. "Can't leave me all in the dark for too long, now…" Could she? … Well, it didn't matter... small talk was all it was... procrastinating any deep questions.   
  
"Hm?" A brow piqued in response to this notation, before Isabella arose from her seat again, and made her way towards the cupboards. A few things here and there procured from within, including a various number of different spices, some different utensils and the like, and she was busily hovering about the stove moving form place to place in what appeared to be a professional, practiced pattern. Apparently she was going to fix the little dilemma of not having anything to eat, and she didn't seem hungry at all.   
  
"You mean Moofie? You've already met him." As casual as could be as some strong spicy scent wafted into the air, the sharp crackle of -- something soon to follow. She didn't seem at all surprised, and didn't feel the need to go into any details about ... Moofie. Instead, she placed a hand on the curve of her hip and tilted her weight, tossing a sidelong glance towards her guest.   
  
"And I suppose you're one of those men who don't make anything to eat for themselves, and live off of pizza and fast food, hm?"   
  
"Mostly Chinese ..." Dante blurted out without much thought to the fact that she might have been making light of his inability to cook or survive in the wild. His mind was on the other thing she mentioned.  
  
"That thing... you, that attacked me - your … it has a name? M-m-moofie?" He sure sounded like a stuttering fool, of course he wasn't afraid ... perhaps, just ... surprised. Dante rocked forward in his chair and rose to his feet, gliding towards her. No, he wasn't about to stop her from making him breakfast -- he was hungry.  
  
"Now I'm used to odd chics ... but, " He just trailed off, and sat back down after pausing near her a bit... "So where're we goin', anyways?" To him, it felt like they were wasting time. A night spent at her house... it seemed like it should have been a trap, but now it was just like she wanted to get to know him ... and yet insult him at the same time. Must be the way she flirted, he thought.   
  
"Yes, Moofie. A pet ought to have a name, shouldn't it? I'm sure you wouldn't say to a beloved cat or dog, 'HEY, ANIMAL, Come here!'" And with a sharp turn on her feet, Isabella already planted some meat down on a plate and placed it before her guest. Ham. Or so it seemed, anyway. With this done, there were dishes that needed washing, and they were attended to as she spoke, facing the sink no less.  
  
"We're headed for the Pousada in Obidos, Portugal ... And I hope you have everything you plan on bringing with you ... We don't have much time to dawdle considering our flight leaves in less than twelve hours ... And calm down a bit. You're way too jumpy. This could take time ... a lot of time ... " The last half of her sentence dragged out under her breath as she placed the now cleaned utensils off to the side of the sink, then pivoted and walked to the other side of the table, flicking the edge of the newspaper as she waited.   
  
Dante Inspected the meat before him, it seemed rather ... bloody ... for ham. Maybe he was just imagining things. Eyes in what seemed to be a perpetually confused and un-amused state just stared at her as he thought of calling such a creature by the name.. Moofie. He did have a dog at one point ... it was named ... well, Dog. Mid-chewing he finally came back to his senses, an elbow resting on the table in front of him, and a ever so small squint in his eyes towards her... not out of annoyance, but interest in what he was getting into.   
  
"... Portugal? … Yeah yeah, I've got everything. Now, why can't you do this yourself, again. Ya' seem like quite a capable chic..." He was so polite. A hand motioned to his words as he spoke with his mouth full of pork. Kicking back at the sound of 12 hours, he was in no rush.. Then again, he didn't want to miss the flight and have to spend another few days in this apartment of hers. And he wasn't jumpy.... so he thought anyways.   
  
" Basically, because my abilities are absolutely worthless where we are going, but I know what to do. I need someone else there to do things for me. Of course, if you're not interested any more, I guess I could continue raising all sorts of hell in this world..."   
  
Well, har. That'd probably make his job suck if he constantly had to face her, no? It was about then that aforementioned creature, Moofie had come racing out of the bedroom, body gray and transparent at first, then dodging into the kitchen doorway only to become pitch black with swirls of violet and blue, run circles around their feet, and leap into the guest's lap. A set of loud mews, caterwauling, and a few paws at the uncomfortable texture of pants, and there was a Shadowy kitten resting, ears barely poking up over the top of the table, on one Devil Hunter Dante's lap.   
  
Oh great, was this thing going to eat his breakfast? ... Oh wait, she was threatening him. Dante didn't care... his abilities -- in his mind -- were sufficient enough to beat anything. Cocky, wasn't he? But from seeing what she was capable of, and how his sword seemed to be as ineffective against her as it would be against him, he decided to, of course, keep to his word (that, and since when did he pass up the opportunity to be friendly with the ladies?).   
  
"Hey, hey, of course I'll keep the-GYAAGH!! ... … Erm..." Trailing off, he assumed he got through to her. Taking in all of what she said, he sighed a bit... and pet that … thing.   
  
"So I'll be your pawn in all of this." Of course, he'd like to know more about the trip, but he'd shut up for now. She seemed to be the type to stab when using too much of his personality, and that could get annoying at times.   
  
Of course even if he was left astray during all of this, he wouldn't care -- he was used to working alone, anyways. Smiling towards her in a half fake, half embarrassed sort of way,   
  
"I ... could get used to this ..." Questions came to him about where she had gone the night before ... and again with the refrigerator, but he figured he'd rather keep "quiet" for now.   
  
"Unfortunately, Pawns don't get paid for their work. You're more like my King piece, Dante." What was this? Perhaps the first time she'd refer to him with his first name? When a woman used all she knew of a man's name, that usually meant trouble, didn't it? Well, either way Isabella was offering a Cheshire cat grin that could have wiped the smirk off of the most demented of Serial Killers. There were egos the size of Russia blazing in the midst of a normal kitchen scene.   
  
The paper left askew on the table, she rose from her seat after a prolonged stare in his general direction, as though peeling away each bit of his outward persona and stripping him down to the bare essentials. Either finding what she wanted to see, or forsaking the operation to get ready for departure, without a word she had vanished back into her room. Moofie, on the other hand, was left to paw idly at the various things on the hunter's garb. Who'd have thought this thing would turn into a weapon and try to kill a man?   
  
Women. He never understood them, but what man, or demon, for that matter, did? But whatever it was, Dante felt himself in a contemplative state. She was technically his enemy, but if she wanted to help him stop herself, it was at least justified. There weren't many out there to actually help him in the first place. Idly petting the shadow on his lap, he eventually lifted himself out of his chair despite being unable to rid his lap of the Moofie on it, and followed her footsteps to her bedroom, stopping at the doorway. He merely looked in, seeing an equal, in some way, of himself, he couldn't quite figure it out, but he became interested in her. Something more than the usual, "break it, kill it" feeling he gave to everyone else.   
  
Perhaps the most disheartening thing about the whole experience on Isabella's behalf, was the fact that she shared equally two bi-polar personalities. Some called it Schizophrenia, but she knew better. Her headstrong human youth remained as though a counterbalance of the live-to-kill mindset portrayed by the less-than-normal side of her. Constant conflicts dealing with morality, but when this all began for her, it was a punishment suiting of the crime committed -- how many years ago? Nonetheless, she was standing, hands planted firmly down on the antique vanity staring into the mirror. What was there? The same face that was there for five hundred some-odd years, but all that smirking, those Cheshire cat grins were all some sort of facade. She was tired of it all, and tired of a life -- or lack thereof, devoid of all sorts of prized possessions a mortal existence could possibly bring.  
  
She didn't seem to notice him at the door, but instead took to idly sifting through her drawers, and pulling a few articles of clothing out and tossing them on the bed. It appeared that Moofie was joining the scene as well, as a pair of beady red orbs emerged from the top of the canopy.   
  
The young man slipped into the room, not attempting to be quiet ... or loud, for that matter. It was obvious, even to him, that there was something wrong, some pain in her that he just couldn't understand. Of course he had his own, everyone did, but unlike most people seem to think, sharing that can't do any good, can it? Reaching for the book which he had been reading at night, Dante flipped through the pages without really looking at the book. His eyes were fixed upon her as he continued on his path towards her, trying to understand what she was feeling, but how could he without asking?   
  
Book placed down on the bed, opened to the page where he had read about the Shadow King. It was obvious she was in some way connected, or related. He didn't bring attention to it, instead he just came up behind her, hand placed on the dresser top. He merely gazed in front of her, perhaps preparing to ask, find out more, or just watching.   
  
For a few minutes, Isabella shifted through drawers, still seeming to not notice the hand on the dresser top. A few more minutes of isolation, but after even a few more, all movement ceased as jaded peridot eyes fell upon that hand, and traveled towards the face of its source. Her expression tight-lipped, brows burrowed down to a sharp point on her forehead, as though assessing the situation, eyes squinted slightly. Sooner than later, though, she had placed both palms back down atop the vanity as well, fingers poised upwards, nails resting on the surface as though threatening to dig through. There was an intensity that was outwardly obvious, and for her own benefit, unknown to her as why. Why should she care about keeping her history silent? Why should she care now of all times, when it was so close to finishing this horrid death sentence?  
  
Fingertips and lips were turning white with tension. Uneasy, not because of his presence, but because of the whole situation, the whole issue. Problems with letting go. Why did she have these problems? Isabella could only suspect the flaw of what could have been the perfect being -- a consciousness.   
  
Dante wasn't about to leave now, no … not when she was this upset. He didn't know anything about her, not really. He wanted to know, yes, but he needed to know if she was going to be ok. It struck him as odd, he didn't know why he cared. He remained still, he didn't care if she struck at him, which is the way it seemed to be leaning. She needed him, and he didn't believe she'd hurt him. True, these could be extremely wrong assumptions, but it didn't change his mind.   
  
Eyes peered at her from the side, his head not quite facing hers, and his legs planted as if to say to her, I'm not moving -- and he wasn't. Whatever was wrong with her, she couldn't keep it inside like this, and he knew it. His face wasn't a harsh one. He didn't want to keep quiet too much longer... waiting for a sign of some sort.. he eventually just muttered out,   
  
"Tell me … " in a whisper. His gloved hands slid off the dresser top, but he didn't move himself, nor the focus of his eyes.  
  
"I don't know where to start." Was the reply, a gentle desperation rattling through her words until Isabella forced herself to a stand, arms resting at her sides and her attentions put off from the vanity for the moment. She stared at his face through the dust-riddled reflection before her. Her own features almost foreign in all the years she could remember. This was planned out all so perfectly within, but now, there was something holding her back. It was true, that in all beings there is no desire to die, but it was only what was right ... only what was release from the ties that bound her to this plane for an unnatural amount of time. Would anyone understand? At the moment she wasn't even sure if she did. She'd confused herself back at the table, and from there her confidence in her superiority to the rest of the metropolitan populace seemed to diminish. Maybe it was just a phase, things would be much better when they got out there and began the hard journey to her freedom ... Wouldn't they?   
  
"Start from the beginning, the very … beginning. Tell me about this." Leaving the book on the bed, but now taking a seat beside it, Dante did need to know, and if it would help her, and help her help him, it seemed right. He could only offer a look of some form of compassion; whatever that body of his could muster as being such. It had been a long time since he cared ... or at least, could show it. His leg crossed over the other as he leaned his weight back onto his hands, faced palm down on the bed. Of course, how could he understand without even knowing the basics.   
  
"But don't forget, you have me here for a reason ... If what I'm gonna do is to help you with this problem, then.." His voice trailed off, thinking for a moment about his own situation. Not how it was similar, but how he understood emotional anguish, and figured he'd offered as much as he could. It was up to her, now.   
  
"I knew you'd find that -- I was counting on it..." Isabella cooed as she slid over towards where he was seated, taking her seat on the opposite side. Before long, the smaller shadow creature had joined the two, resting idly on the pillow not far from where they sat. She took the book in hand, resting it on her lap and turning it over to reveal the page of the Shadow King. Almost immediately, defeated expression sharply made a turn for that of the annoyed, as she gripped the book tightly, took a breath, and allowed her vision to creep and rest fully on the man she was literally entrusting her life with.  
  
"When I was young, I was part of an affluent Portuguese family, the Oxomer family. ... I was schooled quite well, learned to read and write ... and my classes were with a number of other students ... including Manuel." And this was where it began. A tale not uncommon to worlds of that time. It was probably the full basis of a twisted fairy tale of some sort, all ending with an execution by removal of the heart, the mysterious death of all family members and love, and the disappearance of a body from its resting place -- possession was not an uncommon declaration to get a woman punished, after all.   
  
Isabella went on to explain her situation; the denial of her father to be involved with relationships, her betrothal to a man she did not love, the betrayal of her sister, Panacia who married her childhood infatuation Manuel and committed adultery, and ultimately the death of her sister at her own hands by way of slitting her throat, a frightened Manuel calling the authorities on her as she murdered her own sister in his bedroom, and her own execution by condemnation to possession and witchcraft where her heart was torn from her body. A week after the execution of Isabella, the entire Oxomer family, Manuel, and Isabella's betrothed husband were found dead in their beds; their hearts removed - and one week after that, Isabella's grave was unearthed only to be found empty. Her earthly body was chosen by a higher consciousness to be the host of a demon beast who craved revenge. The two clicked instantly, no animosity between beast and woman; they shared a common goal, but over time, as often things do, mindset and outlook changed, vendettas ran bloodlines to their ends, and the terrorized families were eventually forgotten.   
  
There was no look of disgust, nor surprise, nor confusion. It all made sense … well .... for the most part. Still, knowing that she, before becoming what she was now, was still one to kill others, Dante's opinion of her, even though it perhaps should have changed, remained the same. He had thought she was cold-blooded from the start, it was just proven to him. But anything she committed back then, she surely paid for in this time ... and even if she was still performing such acts ... willfully or not, it was all the more reason for him to aid her in putting a stop to herself.  
  
Dante gazed thoughtfully into her eyes, a mix of empathy, care, and the stare of an enemy. It was too hard to decipher what he felt towards her and her situation, but his concern for her was true. His position had changed slightly, much closer to her than when she had started. A hand reached up and landed upon the base of her neck. What more could he do for her, than fulfill his end of the bargain.   
  
"... Obidos, Portugal." His eyes had a certain determination within them. Whether it was to help her, or help the world in his mind, was indiscernible.   
  
How cold Isabella was to the touch; no noticeable heartbeat to push the non-existent blood through her veins, youthful body surviving off of what the beast harbored within would reap from the souls of man. Her pets were the shadows of her victims. They were reminders of that which needed to be stopped, but beloved in all ways. Her existence; the mockery of the one thing she had so desired in life.   
  
Dante's hand was not shrunk from, nor removed, nor cringed away from, but accepted. How often was it that the lion and the lamb coexisted so easily with one another? Bitter enemies, both hunters and hunted, but for a moment in time removed from the vicious circle and placed in a world where nothing but understanding mattered. No shrug of the shoulder, and no vehement retaliation. Just acceptance. Confusion to the point of revelation, and a cold set of fingers were placed on gloved hand, though Isabella's vision sunk and shied away.   
  
Silence remained intact, as did his body. What could he offer her? Consolation? In what, death? Dante couldn't promise her anything, nor did he want to. It was such a large burden. It shouldn't have been, but for some reason he cared. He felt as if he must have been wrong to feel anything towards her unavoidable death ... caused by him, but he couldn't deny that the feeling was there. His eyes shut, as hers turned away.   
  
For a brief moment, the ungloved hand atop his own offered a quick, tight grip. A weight lifted up off the springs of the bed below as Isabella took to a stand, shadowy figure leaping from the pillow to drape itself about her shoulders as she rose. Perhaps what made this hard was the fact, that unlike most demons, at one point she had been a living, breathing human; a creature with a heart, a consciousness, a mind that felt pain, lived hate, cherished love and experienced death. What demon ever could claim they had an inkling of such emotions, such experiences? Maybe -- one other. One that was at one point, so close to her in friendship, and close to him by blood. But it did not do to dwell on such things for so long, to waste away dreading the inevitable as a reluctant martyr. There was no honor ... no care for the world in her actions, but the desire for freedom. Which side would take her? That was something entirely different. She had betrayed both sides; a being without a place to go. But that was all for the future...   
  
  
  


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Author's Notes: Stiiiiiiiill coming on strong. Classes in college, laziness and lack of ambition has been slowing down the posting, but your feedback helps a lot ^_^ Thanks to everyone who's reviewing! 


	5. Currents

_ Now I shake off weariness  
and go meet what I can't guess  
  
The heart has its secret currents  
Deep and without guide  
To find out where they will lead  
I take the plunge, eyes wide  
  
People move from home to street  
No one blinks as day yields to day, life is fleet  
  
I'd like to know where you're from  
And where you're going to, Water Traveler  
  
Now I stretch out my wings again  
And take back what I lost then  
~Currents, KOKIA  
_   
  


** Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter 4  
  
_Currents_  
[By Ultema and Guo]   
  
  


A soft grunt came from Dante as he neared the airport. Had it not occurred to him that there might be some objection with his bringing weapons on a plane? Of course not.   
  
"I dunno if this is gonna work, babe." That was probably the first full sentence he had said to her since leaving the apartment. Of course they didn't exactly speak much prior either, but that wasn't the point. Security guards stood at the doors, and his eyes wandered inside to see them checking bags. It seemed as though they were looking for something, or just being extra cautious -- both of which didn't prove too promising for him. His steps halted as his hand took a place on his hip, the other raised with a sort of 'what now' look given to the other. He could have tried to think of a solution himself... but usually things just came to him, or somehow everything managed to end up broken around him.   
  
"Don't worry about it -- let me see your things."  
  
Demanding as that had sounded, Isabella pulled the hunter towards a shadowed area between buildings, one hand extended as though awaiting something quite expectantly. Interestingly enough, there was a quiver in the air around them, and everything seemed to have gone utterly wavy, like underwater. People passed them by without a second glance, and she didn't seem to be in much of a hurry herself. In fact, this was probably the calmest she had been since they met.   
  
It was the oddest feeling, Dante was almost staggering, but was able to catch himself each time in order to at least look semi normal. Watching the other people walk by casually out of the corner of his eye, he could only think he might have been drugged.. but that didn't make any sense. Instead he turned to the one in front of him, asking for his things. Giving his weaponry to someone else was against his religion, let alone to his prey. But for some reason, all that was normal to him was pushed aside. Feeling at ease with someone, for him, meant quite a bit, and with her? It was so odd. Hesitating for a moment, he handed over his sword (those guns weren't moving ... not without a bit more persuasion, anyways), wondering what she could possibly have in mind. And, now, becoming accustomed to the wavy atmosphere, was actually able to keep his eyes on her for considerable length of time.   
  
Taking the hilt of the weapon in hand, but soon after having to grasp it with both, in order to actually hold it up, a nod in response, before Isabella hefted the weapon upwards, the point of the blade directed towards her stomach. Another waver in her general direction, more towards the core of her body. A shiver in the fabric of reality, before the very texture of the silken clothing she wore seemed to tear apart from itself. Sounds were dimmed, static and almost impossible to bear, but still bodies passed without a notation to their existence. Before long, it appeared that her entire ribcage had split itself apart, extended to the sides and opened up to reveal an enormous -- mouth. Inside were a pair of mandibles that grasped the blade fully as it was pushed, tip down towards her stomach, before pulling it into the darkness that was near impossible to see into. The shimmer became smaller, until vanishing completely, leaving her body completely normal looking again.  
  
Of course, green eyes were trained on where the guns would be, and as though this was supposed to be completely in the norm, she went on.  
  
" And what do you plan to do with those?"  
  
Though before responding to anything, with the sounds and waves passing through this body softening, the look on Dante's face was able to change from a near painful to a completely disgusted; disbelief. With an eyebrow raised, his eyes traveled along Isabella's stomach, shoulders, and finally rested on her face.   
  
"Am ... I ... getting that back?" He asked with real concern for his sword's well being.   
  
" You will get that back when you need it -- and if you think you can hide them, then fine." Isabella responded, taking her eyes away from them and shifting them down towards her watch.  
  
Soon Dante's hands found their way to his guns once again. They weren't coming out, at least, not to be eaten by ... that thing.   
  
"Ah.. I'm sure I'll get someone to keep them in their luggage for me." Dante croaked, the slight grin on his face taken over by uneasiness. But once he made sure to let his inaction let her know she wasn't getting another metal snack today, his mind just then began to be, troubled, by her actions. "Alright babe, now there's something you haven't told me, and uh ... ah, how'd that... taste?"   
  
Those full lips of hers upturned into a full fledged smile at his actions, hands resting on her hips before Isabella took a step backwards, out of the ring of wavering reality, and her own form became distorted as she passed through the siphon between worlds. She rested and waited for him to follow suit, taking the time to ignore the other half of his sentence. She had the feeling he'd see more of that soon enough.   
  
Dante kept Ebony and Ivory pushed back, resting on his behind. He nodded in the direction of the airport as he began towards the doors, walking rather obviously. This probably wasn't going to work, so he thought, at least not walking through the metal detectors. He motioned her to come closer to him, and brought his lips against her ear. It may have seemed like a pass at her, and after all, this was Dante, but he actually had a good reason to whisper. Pointing out a pudgy man leaving the bag checking, by puckering his lips in their general area,   
  
"That guy's going on our flight, and just got through customs ... you feel like putting on some of that charm you've got there?"   
  
"Don't look so uptight, hunter... I need you ... and so long as I'm around, you can't be touched." Isabella whispered. It was also in her veins to act the same way. As soon as he had finished his hissy little whisper, she had turned to face him, one hand filtering his hair through her fingers as she grasped the back of his head gently, resting her cheek against his and replying, before kissing him gently on the side of his face and then parting from him, towards the other and motioning him along behind. This was going to be somewhat against her will, seeing as this guy wasn't stellar in appearance ... but one has to make do with what they have.   
  
Using her as a distraction, which was quite easy to say the least, Dante slid over behind the man. He wasn't exactly blending in either, all in a crimson red and pants that just say "grab me!" As opposed to acting like some sort of Solid Snake, he tried to act as casual as possible, stopping to check the time and tie his shoe near the preoccupied corpulent one near him, he carefully slid open the piece of luggage near the man's feet and slipped both guns in as quickly as possible, hidden beneath his coat.   
  
Soon lifting himself up and giving a quick look to the flight screen, Dante calmly walked over to a concession stand. Oh yeah, he knew he was slick, and showed with a smirk and small flick of his hair, pelvis pressed out slightly in a little victory pose. He awaited the return of his companion, an extra drink in hand.  
  
Isabella, on the other hand, took a little longer than first anticipated. When finally emerging through the throng of bodies, the smiling facade on her lips was instantly replaced with a flat-lined, un-amused, and to say the very least, unhappy expression. She was speed walking, too, in stiletto heels nonetheless.   
  
Alighting beside the other, her elbows draped over a nearby rail, she tossed a cursory glance towards her companion, a few strands of hair tampering with her own view. She obviously wasn't happy with what was, or had, gone on.  
  
" ... That was embarrassing. "   
  
Dante revealed a bemused grin as he essentially hopped over next to grimacing woman friend of his.   
  
"Well, I didn't say you had to do any more than ask him the time...." Chuckling slightly as he offered the drink, his face quickly turned into a puppy-dog-esque "forgive-me" look, lowering himself down below in order to look up at her, of course he didn't say he was sorry.   
  
"I never said I asked anything more, but it was embarrassing nonetheless!" Isabella retorted, tone crisp and snappy for the moment as she flickered her wrist upwards, to take a look at the 24-karat gold plated wristwatch she wore.   
  
"Our flight leaves soon, yes?" All he could think was this could be a long flight if she was going to eat him if he made another smart ass comment, and unfortunately, it was probably in the literal sense; his expression was quickly becoming a nervous smile as he slowly lifted back up.   
  
A brow rose slightly, before Isabella leaned over to grasp his hand, and when her long fingers were sufficiently wrapped around his hand, she had begun to tug him in the general direction of the plane itself. Perhaps forgetting about getting those weapons for now, they'd just have a little adventuring to do in the cargo hold later. This was going to be a stealth mission!   
  
Dante cocked a brow towards his own hand as it was clenched, though he continued along, head lowered down at first as he was pulled forwards. He was just regaining his balance when he noticed her own position to be slightly changed -- he wondered if they were about to sneak into the baggage compartment themselves. Nearly bumping into an innocent bystander, he swayed to the side. It seemed like almost everyone around was looking at them ... and a few of the other foreigners around there ... of course, they weren't 'foreign' technically.   
  
"Are you going to set the metal detector off -- with that ... y'know ... shit inside of you?" He pushed forward, he tightened his fist in a glove as if he were ready to lay the nearest security guard out for looking at him funny again, or if they tried to stop them.. All he could wonder was why didn't they take the bus.   
  
"Just trust me, hunter. Just come on." Look at them funny? Isabella hardly noticed. Still too busy weaving through the bodies with the poor man in tow. They were indeed heading for the baggage place, strangely enough. But apparently that didn't faze her. For now they'd have to wait in a small line through detectors, but as luck might have it, the lines were moving dreadfully slow.   
  
"Lucky we got here early ... This could have been bad for us any other way." She muttered more to herself than to anyone else, even her current companion. Though by now as they were drawing nearer to the security guards looking at them ever so curiously, she had wrapped her arms around his, as though he were an escort of some sort. Perhaps this act would be better to get them through.   
  
Dante's eyes switched back and forth between the security guards and the female clutching to his arm ... no objections either way, and something would have to be done about both. Surprisingly, the clinging tendencies he wouldn't have guessed existed in her were beginning to grow on him -- even if it was only sporadically thrown in along with a cold shoulder and evil glare. Keeping his cool about the security guards, he merely tilted his head back put on a smirk and casually waited for 'their' turn at the metal detector.  
  
One step put through, him keeping her close to his body and not giving the guards a chance to separate them and make them go through one at a time, they looked quite displeased with the little act these two were putting on.   
  
_*Beep*_  
  
Nope, that didn't work ... a small nervous chuckle emerged, but Dante's arrogant smirk remained -- he had to be the cool one. He took a small set of keys out of his coat pocket as he pointed himself in the direction of heading back through to toss the keys aside, and try again. His eyes met back with the other, wondering what she would do. This didn't look too good.   
  
It was one leg right after the other, putting into her walk, a particular stride that could be attributed to the finest of movie stars, and ... well ... runway models. Isabella grasped the thin strap of the purse at her side, sending a sidelong glance towards her companion. A simple stroll through the detector. And -- she made it through. Now, however that was possible with a hulking sword somewhere in her gut was probably the biggest question, but by now she was offering a sweet, puckered smile towards the security guard, and then let her vision drift back towards her escort, a single brow risen upwards as though expecting his performance to be top notch.   
  
An audible "Huh" came from Dante's general direction as he watched his partner venture through again -- so it was him. Confused as ever he tossed he mindlessly tossed his keys in the box and walked through again.   
  
_*Beep*_ again. Lovely. Here came the portable metal sweeping device. Dante hoped he remembered to leave behind all his knives and other such objects. The detector beeping at each belt buckle (he could only wear the finest, of course) he was about to undo each, but with no other places on him going off, the guards, being either incredibly nice, or incredibly apathetic allowed him to go. Retrieving his keys he met up again with the female who he hoped still housed his sword. Eyeing her and letting her lead again, his head pointed downward, eyes looking up to her, and eyebrows asymmetrically scrunched.  
  
"Good ... job... babe." That was good enough for him.   
  
"Thank you, hunter. But for now, back to business, shall we?" With this, Isabella had again added her weight to the poor Hunter's leverage, grasping his arm and dragging him through the crowds, sharply making their way towards a normal entrance this time. Apparently, she had a different plan racing through her brain, and she offered a rest, pulling herself to a stand.   
  
"I'm sure we can't sneak in with the baggage, so to get your weapons we should try to find a way to the cargo hold through the main part of the plane. Any ideas?"   
  
Planes, they weren't his forte, couldn't he just break it?   
  
"I might be able to convince a baggage boy to let me get what I need before we take off ... I'd sneak down during the flight, but I think all of us breathing types want the cabin pressure stable. Hm.. " Contemplating for a moment or two, a finger rose to his chin scratching idly.   
  
"Either way --"   
  
_[ Flight 10390 to Portugal will begin boarding shortly, please check in at the front stand at gate 13. ] _  
  
"-- we should _prrrrobably_ get on board now." Dante motioned towards the gate with his head and smiled -- yes, smiled, to one of the few females that had ever impressed him, both by staying cool, and acting quickly; what was wrong with him?   
  
"Okay, well... let's board. If you can get the kid to let you have what you want, then do so. If not ... I may have to pull a few strings..." Remaining in line, Isabella took a glance towards her companion, then pressed herself close to him, slipping a cell phone into his hand, and offering a solid nod towards the poor guy, and a smile all of her own. This was exciting for once. Something she had never tried before ... and well, with a dangerous person to boot. How often in this life did she ever get this lucky? It wasn't often.  
  
Her clinging let up shortly thereafter though; hands resting on the purse at her side again as they slowly progressed forward.   
  
A quick nod given in response as Dante's gaze remained forward, simply waiting until they were through the line. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the plane had recently opened to the connection tube, no passengers being let on as of yet, but he'd get on. A wink was given to the one beside him, and his mouth moved close to her ear,   
  
"Hold back until I call you over... I'll get on ... we might yet be able to grab the bag as it's going on". The men had recently begun loading the bags from outside, and he was going to hop down there from inside while the hatch was still open. He made his way over to the stewardess in front of the gate entrance.   
  
It was a good 5 minutes before he even glanced towards his friend, all the rest of the time was an obvious flirt, hips being flashed hair flicked. It must have been the day for proving sexuality was the largest weakness in mankind. Though the stewardess' mouth lay open after he nodded in Isabella's direction, asking her to come over, and it seemed as though the other woman was about to slap the red clad man ... he was allowed to pass in. Must have been quite the story. Now it was time for them to grab the guns; they didn't have too much time anymore.   
  
After the signal was given, the dark-haired young woman sifted through the crowd most effortlessly. Slender, balanced shoulders missed the jostles of hurrying passerby one by one until a long, slender leg fitted in a perfectly fit stiletto heels clicked against the floor below in the general direction of her partner. Off to the side, where the fuming stewardess stood, Isabella shifted a typical female's death glare; the kind that a defensive woman shoots to anyone who looks at the man they are with in any way that isn't some sort of fleeting, accidental glance. The sweep of the long, black leather coat that nipped both calves fluttered noiselessly as she ran a hand through her hair, and finally sided up with the other. Those green eyes of hers weren't finished shifting about though, in fact they were flittering from face to face that passed like a nervous rabbit.  
  
" ... So ..."   
  
"So ... We get my guns ... " Looking to his sides in case someone accidentally heard them (and if so, they'd soon be spending the rest of their short lives in the baggage compartment), Dante noticed there was easy access to the hatches which led below -- being spotted once down there seemed to be the only concern. Taking a bit of precaution to open the hatch quietly, he beckoned his partner over to view the situation below.  
  
"Two men, one outside loading to the man inside... we'll have to keep that one outside happy while we ..._-ahem-_ 'distract' the other ... I see the bag ... and I think I can take out the one in there ... do you think you could disguise yourself or cloud the one's vision ... or maybe take over taking the bags from him? ... I'll let you decide." The man was all too serious when it came to his guns -- there was no relaxing for him until they were retrieved. As the loading boy below was just passing by with a special 'fragile' box -- surprisingly taking good care of it, although he appeared to be readying to throw the thing, he passed out of sight of the one outside, and Dante seized the opportunity, giving but a quick smirk and head nod, motioning her to drop down with him, he fell down with amazing accuracy, landing on the man's head below, and shattering whatever was inside of that package.   
  
"Disguise myself? Who does he think I am? Decoy Octopus?" Isabella protested with a wrinkle of her nose as she followed her partner, landing quite stealthily in those stilettos without so much as a wobble on her own two feet, and making her way over towards the loading area, and continued the now busted-boy's job, carefully watching Dante over her shoulder. With a huff, now and again tossing a quick glance back at their escape route, and her senses sharp in case there was threat of discovery looming about any of these corners. Of course, in these conditions people had the poorest of vision, and it helped to be both fully human and fully demon at the same time, in that respect.   
  
" Let's hurry, eh? I don't want to end up getting caught here..."  
  
With Ebony and Ivory pulled from that small suitcase, everything seemed to be going well... almost too well. The man knocked out would surely be awakening soon, in fact, he was just starting to grunt as Dante was finishing a quick hug and kiss to the barrel of one of them. His arm rose up and hand shook violently, motioning his partner over ... they'd have to hide if they weren't going to be spotted -- in fact, they were almost done loading the plane and passengers would load on shortly afterwards. But where could they hide just long enough to pass a quick glance? He reached over to her hand in order to pull her aside, wherever they'd go in a small place like this.   
  
Taking a quick glance over her shoulder before moving, Isabella's steps careful on the slick floor below as she managed a loping run towards her partner, only to have her hand grasped and nearly yanked her arm from the socket, she managed to duck down and peer between a few metal bars towards the object of their sudden fright. Tossing a quick glance towards her partner, she had already begun an army crawl away from the man in question, hand still grasping the other's as though to move him along until a better situation presented itself ... which was growing short in terms of time, considering the other seemed to have been curious about his state of being-on-the-groundness, and was starting to busily check the areas for anything peculiar while still resting on the ground.  
  
"There better be something around here, and we better find it quick. I don't know how long we're going to hold out flopping around on the floor like this..."   
  
"I'd ask you to hide us with some of your... abilities ... but somehow I think I'd end up where my sword is ..." Dante grinned as he kept his ass moving, crawling along the ground trying to avoid the man just for a bit longer. Running out of room, running out of time, they ran to a dead end in the luggage, the man previously knocked out still looking around, getting closer. A hand rose up grabbing at anything above that he could get a hold of, until an open, empty box was latched onto, and brought down quickly on top of the both of them. An extremely tight squeeze, it was hard enough just to fit there let alone stay still. As the search neared them, Dante could feel ... well, his heart beat.   
  
"Hm ... just a box..." Was muttered by the loader. A few moments later he turned around and was out of the plane.   
  
"_Watch it~!_" Isabella hissed, "Get your knee out --" A tight fit, indeed, two full grown adults crammed into a box in some twisted Karma Sutra reject position, and Isabella was already getting annoyed with the mess. With a few shifts and movements here and there, one side of the box gave way under the push of her elbow and tore. With a thunk, she fell prone against the cold metal floor and skittered back a bit, to give her partner room. Propping herself up on her elbows, the woman moved her head from left to right idly, as though making sure her neck still worked properly.  
  
"Let's get out of here ... find our seats. BUT if we do this just as gracefully as this last 'mission', I don't think we're going to make it... and WHAT is the deal with the box? "   
  
A grunt offered as a response, and again her hand was taken. She wasn't some blind frail chic here, she could handle herself -- of course Dante didn't care, she was throwing tantrums left and right ... all that mattered was getting their seats. A quick twirl of his guns landed them into their holsters, then, hidden by his jacket, he seemed to pose for a second, hips outward. In truth he was just checking if they could move about easily, and quickly slip into their seats in time for the pre-flight drink ... something he could use right about now.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes** Blah, so hard to find lyrics for some things. Ah well, still working on more, more more. The story is still in process of being written, too, buuut, hehe we're a good number of chapters ahead of this. As always, your input is what helps ^_^. 


	6. Pousada Obidos

_ Heart, don't fail me now.  
Courage, don't desert me.  
Don't turn back  
Now that we're here.  
People always say  
Life is full of choices.  
No one ever mentions  
Fear.  
Or how the world can seem so vast  
On a journey  
~Journey to the Past, Anastasia_  
  


** Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Five  
  
_Pousada Obidos_  
[By Ultema and Guo]  
  
  


Having made it to their seats safely -- a first class trip nonetheless, some time passed from their last exhausting excursion, and without tearing a stocking, they had made it through the ordeal safely. Security was tightened, however, due to the report of one of the loaders, and the plane was a good deal off schedule. Though, strangely enough now that things had calmed down, tickets rechecked by the stewardesses several times over, Isabella had taken to closing her eyes for a few minutes.   
  
She'd been feeling particularly weak for the last few moments, could have been her lack of sleep on the human side, or her lack of shadows on the demon, but nonetheless she was finding it harder and harder to keep her eyes open as the turbulence died down and they climbed higher into the skies, until the ground below was nothing more than multicolored patches below. She was propped up on one elbow, resting on the arm of the aisle-side seat and staring at the head of a ridiculously tall person in front of them. She hadn't been terribly talkative since her last 'tantrum', either.   
  
Dante's mouth hadn't been opened often either. Tension? Maybe ... of course both of them enjoyed the silence, and didn't really care as to how the other was feeling. Still, Dante couldn't help but notice her looking ill.   
  
"Are you alright, babe? ... Need a drink?" His glass of his favorite drink, a non-alcoholic version of gin and tonic on the rocks, was held out to her.   
  
"Maybe you'd better get some slee-- " Interrupted by a hand being placed atop of his head, which he quickly grabbed, apparently scaring the bejesus out of a small child in the seat behind his.   
  
"That is ... if you can ... Uh, we'll be there soon, yeah? Just relax." He leaned back, offered a kind smile -- perhaps the first non-hostile look either had given since the gun incident -- and even his hand gave her a solid yet soft pat on the shoulder.   
  
From the corner of one eye, Isabella shifted her attention towards her partner with a sort of lax, easy smile of her own feeling the pat to her shoulder. Using a fair amount of effort, she too, fell back to rest against her chair, and shifted her legs about until they were extended as far as she possibly could without getting them stuck under the chair in front of her. Amused by the scared child behind her partner, she accepted the drink, took a sip and handed right back to the generous towhead before wiping her mouth on the back of her opposite hand. Despite the fact that they were ardently opposed to one another, it was nice to actually find someone who was willing to help her out, even if it was to destroy her. It was a start and a finish all in one.  
  
" I never met someone quite like you, hunter. You are a curious one. Hopefully before time runs out, I'll know why." This said, leaning her head into the soft chair behind her, she took to looking at the ceiling above. She hadn't been paying attention to whatever film was currently being played. There was far too much on her mind.   
  
Dante wasn't quite sure what that last comment meant, but as always, he took it as a compliment. Not much in vocal part of his response, he wasn't one to express meaningful feelings or ideas in such an easily discernable and direct method. A smirk and chuckle from the man, his eyes watching hers as they wandered. His legs shifted, a bit fidgety when he had to stay so still in such a small area. Finally able to settle back and relax. Perhaps this wasn't going to be so bad, at least this part of the trip ... she certainly was intriguing, quite a quality to a man like him.   
  


*** 

  
  
There was a flicker on the television screens, a waver, and then a quick cross of white just before the screen went black. This caught her attention, and Isabella rested her eyes forward as the sound of static lightly filled the area. Curiously, a brow rose as she leaned over her companion slightly, taking a glance at the area below. A huge wall surrounded a whitewashed town, complete with brilliant red bougainvillea flowers hanging from every window box, decorating the arches and gates. In the center of the town, a castle-like structure, off-color to the rest of its surroundings seemed to catch her eye the most, before sitting down again and smoothing the wrinkles out of her skirt. Her right hand reached over to fall atop of her partner's, and she leaned over slightly, nodding in the direction of the castle.  
  
"That is where we are headed, as if you didn't know." A smirk revealing again, a row of pearl and two peridot eyes offering a mischievous glance from under dark hair towards her companion. Isabella still appeared tired, but she didn't seem to be acting the part anymore; at least, not quite so visibly.  
  
"We'll be arriving in Obidos, Portugal momentarily. Please remain seated for now, and on your way out make sure that you have collected all of your belongings. Thank you, and have a nice day."   
  
_Ffzt_. The intercom nearly clipped the end of the sentence off as the message ended. Now it seemed, was the time to really get to the meat of the outing.   
  
"Come on, come on, we don't want to take all day, dear." How honey-sweet the tone Isabella used, the woman in a long jacket and a short skirt when the plane landed and passengers began to get off. Somehow the two of them had gotten separated and she had gotten off a fair amount ahead of the platinum-haired partner of hers. The problem was, there was a runway, but no airport.   
  
Unlike the other passengers, who's eyes swept over their surroundings with awe as they stepped off the plane, Isabella was off in an instant, standing with her hands on her hips and her sunglasses hiding her brilliant green eyes. Been there, done that was the general response to the area, after all she'd been trying to get this particular bit of her existence accomplished for some time now. Full lips pushed forward in a business-like pout (Something only she managed to pull off), one stiletto-laden foot tapped impatiently against the asphalt below, before her hands dug into her pockets and retrieved a pack of cigarettes, and her Zippo. Nearby, the luggage was being unloaded, and she sure as hell wasn't making a move to go and get any.   
  
Dante found his eyes wandering almost as much as the other passengers. The surroundings were some of the most beautiful he had seen. Thoughts moved in and out of his head, but with a call of the other, his attention returned to what was at hand. _Where was she going in such a hurry? She was supposedly alive for hundreds of years ... what were a few more minutes?_ he figured. He didn't raise a voice though, chasing after her with absolutely no clue as to their destination ... or even where they were, his ego took a hit or two ... and he couldn't let that happen, could he?   
  
"Whoa, slow down, babe. What's going on ... what's the rush?" his chase slowed to a leisurely walk. No comprehension of anything she was perhaps experiencing, nor much consideration to any needed hurry, he strolled along the streets.  
  
"You've got to start giving me a bit more information..." Strands of platinum in his face lay motionless with each step, which was now picking up into something similar to a march towards her. His crimson trench coat flowed smoothly as his hips threw his body off to the side to view her face. He was ready to help, but not go charging in blind.  
  
"Well, for one, luggage needs picking up, love." A sweeter than candy smile, and a cigarette was pulled up to heavy lips and lit, before offering the pack to her companion with a smile cracked on both sides of it. A slender leg extended, hip cocked as Isabella turned to look towards the horizon where the castle loomed. There was a cobblestone street that seemed to wind in and out of the city... and that was apparently where they were headed.  
  
"I hate to make you look like the butler here, hunter, but sometimes facades have to be kept up, no?" A push of the hand down upon the rim of her sunglasses and she slipped him a wink. The fresh air whipped over the runway, before she picked up her walk towards the path, and indicated the construction in the distance.  
  
Dante's feet stopped in their tracks when she suggested that he actually become a butler, his mouth opened but nothing came out save for a slight audible sigh.  
  
" 'swhere we are headed, Hunter ... soon as we're away from the common folk I'll help you with some of that." At least ... there wasn't TOO much luggage; just three suitcases, all feeling about only a thousand pounds each. Ouch.   
  
An eyebrow rose in response to her. Everything seemed too peachy to him, but Dante wasn't going to deny that there was nothing to be concerned about other than his own paranoia ... but one in his profession tended to have some form of mental disorder.   
  
Looking over the bags, he stooped down and attempted to lift them with his legs; a stumble here, an imbalance there, he was obviously one of the most coordinated people alive. Boots met with the ground harder, Dante moving into a slight jog just to catch up. While this little endeavor should have been humiliating to him, he looked at it more of being her body guard -- how far from the truth could he pretend now... Still, the thought proved to push a smile onto the man's face, of course, he was realizing most of what she did caused that. What a trip this would be. Left foot over right, and stumbling about like a bright red fool, he followed his client and partner without protest.   
  
Click, click, click, those heels weren't made for hiking, but the cobblestone path was good enough to work with. Though, it seemed that the path took more twists and turns than absolutely necessary... but then again that's the way these old places were made, no? Being jostled forward by one of Dante's many missteps, Isabella took to peering over her shoulder as they rounded another curve, making sure that not a single soul was in sight, she fell back from her lead on the poor young man, and placed an index finger below one of the handles on a case, lifting it with a fair amount of ease, and then another one, while living him with the last. Drawing smoke in and puffing it out the other side like a practiced cigar smoker, she shifted her attention towards her partner, to whom she had said very little to the entire time the had known each other.   
  
" Well ... we're headed for the castle, there. We've got reservations to stay, and that's where our little adventure is going to take place... any questions?"   
  
And that's where our death will take place is more what it sounded like ... a squint was made in the man's eyes as they peered over to hers. Still, despite how odd it sounded, there was nothing that beat an on-site location. Dante decided to keep his questions to himself from now on. To him, things were better answered through his own observations.   
  
"Sounds like ya' got the whole thing planned out for me ... lets just hope it all works out how you're thinking." He pressed forward to at least share the lead with her, his head tilted back slightly, almost raising his chin in the air like a regular snooty. Arms flared out to the sides with a yawn and a stretch. Anyone could see what he wanted.   
  
"Well, I know the basic structure of the area, what's behind the door, now that I don't know. I just hope you have the reflexes to keep yourself alive passed whatever's there..." Oh wasn't that just peachy keen? They were starting to round the last bend, and the rising spires of the castle were in full view by now, as well as the huge wooden door. In all reality it looked well kept, much like a hotel or something.  
  
And wouldn't you know, that a sign by the side of the road mentioned something about being refurbished into a tourist attraction and place to stay in Portuguese. So they were going to slay tourists?  
  
" Oh, and you'll be happy to know that when we get there, you're welcome to take a rest. We can't do anything until nightfall anyway."   
  
Eyes glanced over the castle and settled upon the front, Dante was just surprised there wasn't a neon sign above pointing all people like him to whatever sort of hell hole this most likely was -- no offense to the establishment itself. All in all, he just felt like one of the Ghostbusters or something. He nodded to Isabella in understanding; he could use a little rest. He found his mind racing to stay on one subject or stay concentrated, and hoped that it was just the jet lag, still, something felt off about this place -- as well it should ... why else would he be there?  
  
"You and I should.... rest up ... for ... well after all ... we need our skills to be in fine form, don't we?" He almost sounded nervous ... in a cute, sarcastic, asshole-like sort of way. Perhaps this was the chance he had been looking for ... to case the area... and her, of course.   
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes**: The more meaty end of the outage will occur soon now. ^_^ Had to set the scene and all after all, but in the next chapters, more familiar faces will be showing up, and some personality given to characters that didn't have a lot of establishing on-screen time. I'll warn you now, since there's no real clear definition of the character's persona's, they may conflict with your view of what they should be like, but don't worry, nothing stupid :P. 


	7. L'Nero Angelo

_Every time I think of you  
I feel shot right through with a bolt of blue  
It's no problem of mine but it's a problem I find  
Living a life that I can't leave behind  
There's no sense in telling me  
The wisdom of a fool won't set you free  
But that's the way that it goes ...  
  
I feel fine and I feel good  
I'm feeling like I never should  
Whenever I get this way, I just don't know what to say  
Why can't we be ourselves like we were yesterday  
I'm not sure what this could mean  
I don't think you're what you seem  
I do admit to myself  
That if I hurt someone else  
Then I'll never see just what we're meant to be  
Every time I see you falling  
I get down on my knees and pray  
I'm waiting for that final moment  
You'll say the words that I can't say  
~Bizarre Love Triangle, New Order _  
  


** Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Six  
  
_L'Nero Angelo_  
[By Ultema and Guo]  
  
  


Everything was in order -- what seemed endless amounts of stairs covered in a few moments to lead towards a rather spacious room. The stone walls were somewhat cool, but the view from the open balcony made it all worth it. There was neither a heavy scent of stale air, nor the looming presence of undeniable evil in these walls, and the staff that ran the establishment seemed all too friendly and cooperative with their pair of newest guests, the man of the two getting more of the gawks due to his considerably contrasting choice of style to the cool-clad business woman who had led him up the stairs, needless to say, dumping the weight of their luggage upon him once more for effect.  
  
Everything had been laid out quite neatly, distinctly the single drawer was shared but divided just so they could distinguish one's clothing form the other ... as though it were difficult at all. The surroundings were strangely homey in comparison to Isabella's Penthouse Suite -- alas but a single bed with a canopy draped in a fine, chiffon linen, and heavy scarlet curtains covering the glass door that lead to the stone balcony offering a fantastic view of the cityscape. The mirrors were large, a fine fur rug below the bed, but the cold floor visible around the doors and the rest of the floor. The added-on bathroom was a fine piece, carved of pure white marble, though a little cold to the touch.  
  
By now, Isabella had removed her killer shoes and stepped to the balcony to enjoy a cup of the complimentary wine, and a cigarette without smoking her partner out.   
  
Dante's eyes took notice of each detail of the surroundings, studying them, attempting to see past the obvious. With each staff member glared at every time they neared, it was no difficult task to see right through him. He wasn't worried, he was cautious. Everything was always wrong when he was around -- so he thought. And her -- Isabella seemed to know the place like the back of her hand ... could have easily been her castle, or at least that was his guess.   
  
His butt planted firmly into the couch in their room as he removed his unbearably large, but somehow practical boots (in his business, anyways), trench coat far from being removed; feet soon placed up on a coffee table and the rest of his body sunken into the cushions. His head slowly turned to view the other, and scrunch of his eyebrows showed his interest in her condition, and soon his body was nearing hers.  
  
"I hope you don't mind the company ... I sure as hell could use some." His feet pivoted in the ground and body twisted to lean against the railing. Head cocked to the side, eyes staring upwards in her general vicinity.   
  
"I like the company, for what it's worth ..." Isabella smiled, paying little attention to Dante as he continued to let his eyes pry in her direction.  
  
"You seem familiar with this place, as if you're expecting something ... now could be a good time to fill me in. After all, waiting for nightfall seems dangerous... and all that are around here or tip-hungry bell-hop jerks..." A trailing voice was used as his concern for her grew to overcome his need for being told every little thing.   
  
"-- do you smoke?" The open pack was offered in his general direction, as well as the unusually large Zippo lighter. Isabella's attention seemed to swivel fully around towards her white-haired companion, this time her eyes not hidden by the dark tints of her sunglasses, seemed to creep over every detail facing her. She sure as hell was sizing him up, for better or for worse, if the former were even possible in such a situation. A casual toss of the head, and she was back in business, both middle and index finger supporting the cigarette between them, before flicking the ash off without a care, and then turning her attention back on him.  
  
"I don't care for them much myself, but it's a hard habit to break after you've done it for the image." A smirk pulled at the sides of her heavy lips, and Isabella had shifted around until she was standing directly beside the hunter, arms folded and elbows dangling over the side of the stone balcony.  
  
Dante seemed to get a chuckle from one of her sarcastic statements as one hand reached out to draw a cigarette out of the box, placing it in his mouth like a toothpick. Smoking wasn't really something he had done often, but he too liked the image -- not something he'd admit, of course. You might have seen the crimson clad one squat to enjoy the taste of such a disgusting invention, had the situation not been so serious. Still, he managed to get in a line,  
  
"I make it a point to come here every century or so, just to see if anything has changed ... basically, we're safe as far as I have seen. It doesn't take much to get through where I am going, but what is beyond the door is far passed what I could do anything about, and that is why you are here. Also, it's best not to stir up too much trouble with the bell-hops... it's not a decent paying job, mind you." Isabella finally continued, looking out over the land.  
  
"Whatever it is you're talking about, I doubt it could stand up to me if I'm fighting for you... " He didn't exactly give time to respond for his relatively lame comment, and a follow up,   
  
"You keep coming back... something must change often ... so ... what is it now?" Another glance around the room, looking for thieves and shadows alike, no doubt. What was this guy's deal, anyway? He motioned towards the couch, inviting her back to it, his barely started cigarette thrown to the ground, and coat pulled out from below him as he again took a seat on the couch.  
  
"And if we can't do anything about it until nightfall ... I might as well get some sleep..." Such a relaxing position, or so it seemed, sprawled out while still sitting up, he almost seemed to beckon her to tell him whatever it was she could tell him along side him.   
  
"Well, aside from the passing of power from the hand of monarchy, to the tyranny of tourist capitalism ... nothing. That's the problem. I've hoped for a while that maybe what lay beyond the doors would change, but it obviously hadn't." Isabella flicked the butt of her own smoke casually into the air, and away with the wind it was carried as she turned on the cold stones below to follow the demon hunter in his steps, and took a seat nearby; almost in his lap, regardless of the space there was to sit in. A slender leg crossed over top the other, and a hand rested on her knee as she placed her glass down on the glass top of the coffee table.   
  
"And ... getting rest isn't a bad idea. I need to look over a few things before we start, anyway ..." With this, she rose and opened one of the suitcases, procuring several sheets of yellowed, worn paper with scrawling handwriting and diagrams. They must have been blueprints of some sort.   
  
Dante nodded in agreement to her, it all seemed to make sense -- except of course her entire story... but that didn't concern him too much. He knew she wasn't lying -- real life always made less sense than it should -- especially with outside factors like him coming in. He seemed quite intent on learning all he could, but found himself beginning to doze off on the couch as she made her way through whatever it was she was looking at -- he couldn't tell. It took every bit of energy he had to try to stay awake, yet everything blinked in and out... all he could do was hope he'd be able to take care of whatever it was that he was there to stop when he needed to.   
  
His confidence showed through as always, even in his incoherent state with what appeared to be drool slowly soaking into the couch pillow behind him. His body drifted towards her subconsciously and his mind began to put the pieces of everything he had been told together. Perhaps a dream could make sense of all of this madness.  
  
Isabella paused for a moment, taking a quick glance at her partner from over the top of an old, yellow, weathered piece of paper. A risen brow slowly fell to lay flat across her forehead as she set the paper down gently on the coffee table, and stood moving quietly towards the bed and removing the top cover of it. With equal stealth and gentleness, she placed it over the drifting hunter, moved the pillows around slightly without jarring the young man, and gave him a soft pat on the top of his head.   
  
Making sure that all was in order, she silently made her way towards the dresser, beside it finding a pair of flat-soled boots that were donned with ease, and pulled up over her calves, zipped up the inside, and carried herself out of the heavy wooden door. Pausing for a moment, one hand rest on the wood, before pulling it towards her body via the large, iron handle as she turned and slipped into the hallway. Not a sound made by the soft soles of her shoes, only the gentle click of the lock remained as the door was pulled shut.  
  
That done, Isabella straightened, taking a glance left and right to see if there was anyone looking. Satisfied with her stealth mission thus far, the woman proceeded casually down the hall -- long jacket swaying with each step as she passed door after door, and thankfully there were no windows to the inside corridor. Further down the one they were on, was an area where the candles were no longer lit, and into the distance was a deep blackness that one could not see into.   
  
Without much thought, she had moved beyond the guardrail that kept the area off limits (it was slightly demolished on one side, it seemed. Parts of the walls and ceiling lay prone across the floor), she crept below the newly installed security camera and dodged into the darkness. A stairwell rested at the end of this hallway, it's steps brittle and cracking as she approached. The woman paused, placing a hand on the wall beside her before taking another quick glance around; it was as though she had sunk into the floor, though what stood above a gleaming red circle was no longer a crouching woman, but a black feline. With the appearance of a normal domesticated shorthair, big green eyes, and about three times the size of the friendly neighborhood kitty, the animal swiftly dodged up the stairs.   
  
The next hall around was easily moved through as the feline continued its path, as though knowing exactly where to go. Below her paws, the stones shifted slightly; threatening to give way even under the weight of her body. The cat paused, taking a cursory glance upwards at a candlestick. Without checking to see around her, the feline took two careful steps back, and then walked straight for the wall. Her muzzle disappeared, followed in rapid succession by her paws, shoulders, back and stomach, hind legs, and finally the tip of her tail. The wall rippled for a brief second, before she was standing in a similar hallway, candles lit, and an iron door ahead.   
  
A not so inconspicuous heap of dark metallic garbage seemed to be crouched against the wall in the hallway. However, if one weren't to look, or had taken the short way into the hallway, as the light-footed and literally feline-esque Isabella did, perhaps it wouldn't have been noticed. Whether it's presence was recognized or not, it would have startled just about anyone as it began to rise out with no prior warning. A soft violet glow emanated from cracks in what was now a visible suit of armor -- of what make or time period wasn't so obvious. The sounds of heavy footsteps echoed throughout the hallway as the dark figure neared the one by the door -- which one was the true beast was a good question. A hand reached out to the feline, not in hostility, but friendship.   
  
"I hope you know what you're doing ... you won't be betraying anyone from your past ... will you? ... " An extremely deep voice addressed the feline. The male apparently knew nothing of her agenda, nor of her personally, still he seemed to act as if he knew her.   
  
Perhaps taken aback by some amount of surprise by the other voice, the shadow-like hairs on the back of the feline shot upwards, tail frizzed out as ears slicked back and body jerked, putting the catlike Isabella on her toes for a split second before the voice was recognized, and a distinct rumble which seemed to be somewhere between a disgruntled grunt and a contented purr ebbed forth.   
  
"What exactly ... are you doing here, Euryon ... I thought this was all over.. " A hand motioned towards the door, as the large armor clad man walked beside her ... head nor body turning towards her... so stiff it seemed, as if there was little to no movement allowed in whatever outfit he was in.   
  
As soon as the fur slicked itself back down, the cat had made its way towards the door, looking up at it, before looking over her shoulder towards the heavily armored man that was moving like a rusty gear.  
  
"Of course I know what I'm doing... and what are you doing here, anyway?" If cats had such physical expressions, the speaking one dodged an eyebrow before hefting itself onto its hind feet and putting its paws on the cold iron door. Peering upwards at it, the feline's ears slicked back against its skull and she let herself drop back down to all fours. Pacing too and fro for a moment, the cat paused, and allowed itself to fall back on its haunches, still peering quizzically at the stiff figure not too far away.   
  
The other's hands reached up to grasp was at first looked like a hideous face and was apparently some form of helmet, revealing a white haired young man. Similarities to the man that Isabella had came with existed in the bone structure of the face. Stepping forward to lean against the door she was attempting to gain access to, his eyes squinted slightly as his eyes looked over her.   
  
"I'm here both by request, and on _personal_ interest.... " He muttered, reaching out once again to her, this time attempting to make contact with the feline's shoulder.  
  
"Request, huh?" the feline queried, peering upwards at the towering man.  
  
"It's been a while ... I don't know if I can help you do ... what it is you're trying to do here ... unless of course you tell me what it is ..." It was quite obvious he was just trying to extract information from her ... yet it was a bit harder to tell whether or not his concern was sincere or not.   
  
"More importantly ... what are you doing... with ... _him_?" This inquiry sounded a bit more serious... almost as if jealousy were involved, as well as concern.   
  
Brow bones seemed to shift on the cat's skull as part of her green eyes were obscured by what was obviously a frown, instead now taking the chance to weave in and out of the other's legs in a figure eight before stopping and sitting down once again. It was obvious that she was suspicious of his motives, and the sound of what was like jealousy.  
  
"I don't suppose you'd tell me by whose, but that doesn't matter ..." This said, ignoring the blatantly disguised questioning, the cat stood once again on its hind legs, though this time paws seemed to lengthen, the blackness of the fur seemed to melt; ears first, dripping down to reveal the glimmer of mahogany-and-ebony hair, a mocha face, bright eyes, cinnamon lips, and finally a human's body standing a good couple feet shorter than the man in her vicinity.   
  
Those full lips of hers were twisted upwards in something between a pout, and obvious distaste for the situation, though Isabella's eyes had locked quite forcefully on his. It wasn't until she had thought about it more that the pout had turned up into something a little more devious. Something of a grin through which it was plain to see both rows of perfect teeth, and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the darkened plates of metal covering the man's torso.  
  
"What? Are you jealous or something?" The previously feline woman questioned, staring intently into the blue depths of the armor-clad man's eyes.  
  
The man offered a monotone chuckle, his eyes staring back into hers with no real emotion visible,   
  
"Just don't get delusions of grandeur ... and I can't allow you to be helping him ... I thought we all agreed on you staying out of all this." Once again, his motives were obviously a result of another higher authority ... he didn't have any intention on answering her questions, not until his were answered and some other portion of this conversations which didn't seem to be coming from the same person was concluded. The armored man took a step or two backwards the cat transformed into the humanoid, and when she simply stated that he was aiding her, it seemed to break the concentration of the other.   
  
"What exactly are you doing here, Euryon ... or whatever it is you go by these days... why all of a sudden are you back?" Again, this question was restated ... but this time, his voice sounded less harsh, more of an actual person, interested in aiding a friend -- whether or not she would consider him a friend didn't appear to matter in his mind.  
  
"He's helping me ... and since when ... have you ever wanted to help me with anything that had to do with _this_ door?" Isabella indicated the iron portal just beyond them with a deft movement of her head.  
  
"I'm not helping you ... not really," Sure, that's what he said; eyes switched focus between her and the door. " But, I can give you something ... as long as you aren't planning anything too conniving, like you usually are." A smirk appeared on the lips of the previously emotionless beast of a man.   
  
"... And you know why I'm concerned with why you're taking my brother along for the ride ..." He eyed her while once again moving himself a bit away due to her glance.  
  
"Technically, what's going on here doesn't concern anyone but myself. If I had it my way, I'd be doing this solo. I don't like admitting I need help any more than anyone else, Vergil." Isabella's smile seemed to melt into something more serious by now, flickering her attention momentarily from his face, to the door as she let her arms fall back down to her sides. Her weight switched, one hand rose to indicate the door slightly before resting again at her side.   
  
"It's just something that I need to do ... and I can't do it by myself ... and Isabella. Just Isabella ... that's all I want you to know me as. "   
  
She refused to elaborate any more on the point, but the stern look that crossed her countenance was something easily read that she was serious, no joking involved this time. She moved to one side of the wall, rested her shoulders on it, and peered intently towards the other, before flickering her hand dismissively as she thought of his previous 'whatever'.  
  
The one referred to as Vergil appeared quite discouraged by Isabella's lack of cooperation and explaining, but he soon disregarded it, perhaps understanding that this is the way she was.  
  
"Well, it's obvious you have your reasons, I'd assume you'd tell me straight out if you were doing what ... he thought you were ... no matter. It's of no concern ... the fact we aren't fighting should be proof enough for him." A grin entered his features, "You haven't changed a bit ... and I can't help you ... nor do you want mine, I'm sure ... but here. Maybe you should look at this ... or give it to him."  
  
All this talk of 'him' and no apparent interaction from who it referred to seemed a bit odd and confusing -- obviously not the best speaker, Vergil clipped his talking short with a quick shake of his head, and handed over an amulet and two oddly shaped, gilded keys... they obviously didn't fit the door in front of them, nevertheless, it seemed as though he was aiding her in some way.   
  
Something cracked in Isabella's serious glare, brows rising upwards sympathetically as she took a hold of the items he had handed over. Once breaking the eye contact with him to look over the trinkets, they slowly rose back upwards towards Vergil again.  
  
"I don't want to see you killed, so be careful. I'll be around ... but don't expect me to be a help to you ... or him ... anymore. " Vergil walked forward; eyes locked on Isabella's. His face changed from a serious one to a slight smirk, surprising from a man of his nature. Moving past her, his hand tapped against her stomach.  
  
"And, stay away from my brother." His hands replaced his helmet back onto his head, and a chuckle echoed through the material as his feet clanged hard against the wood below, a strange mix of sounds to be left with as he moved to make his exit in a sharp, thin beam of light.  
  
For a moment, Isabella parted her lips as though to speak, but instead sucked in air, and let it out again. Some things it would have been nice to say, but couldn't pull herself to do so. Before she could muster her thoughts again, he already made his exit.   
  
Her lower lip disappeared under her top row of teeth as she bit down slightly, and as the last glimmer of light vanished from sight, she had let her head hang slightly in response. Another glance was cast down towards the items in hand, and she tightened her grip around them. Shoulders rising and falling with a single breath, she took another glance at the door before her. All of a sudden, something felt amiss. Not taking the time to try and figure it out at that very moment, she turned on her heels, but not before placing the amulet around her own neck, and the keys in her pocket.  
  
Once more assuming her feline form in a masterful transmogrification, the cat sauntered slowly back towards the wall in which it came, just to take another glance over her shoulder before she vanished through the water-like ripples in the stone, and headed back towards the room where 'sleeping beauty' lay, most likely soaking the upholstery.  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes:**Heh, a spoiler or two in there, but hey :P Yes, yes. Still working on more. 


	8. Where it All Begins

_Oh here they come  
But I'm not afraid  
There's no temptation I can't evade  
Stand up straight  
Look through the haze  
I begin to walk through the maze  
Here they come  
They're all up on me  
But I'm dead to sin like  
Some kind of zombie  
~Some Kind of Zombie, Audio Adrenaline   
  
_  


** Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Seven  
  
  
_ Where it All Begins_  
[By Ultema and Guo]  
  
  
  


His head stuffed into the corner of the couch, one arm on the head of the couch, the other off the edge, Dante had obviously been rolling around on the couch, as it could be seen from the trail of drool marks. No matter, his one visible eye opened as Isabella entered the doorway, and looked straight at her. It wasn't quite certain what he knew or could tell from her face, but he suspected something.  
  
Jumping to his feet, a quick brushing of his coat and pants, and a shake of his head, not moving the seemingly undisturbed silver hair, an eyebrow rose towards Isabella along with a slow nodding of the head with his usual smirk.   
  
"Ah, caught ya! Thought you were going to be able to get me out of these clothes with a sneak attack, eh?" Was he serious? Or was he just concealing his knowledge? One couldn't really tell with him., and did it really matter with such a wise ass?   
  
What Isabella offered in return was something reminiscent of a smirk, but the contemplative absence in her eyes was something a little different. Whatever the case, she wasn't going to let that get her down ... at least, not right now. Without responding to the young man, she moved to one of the three suitcases and knelt, opening it gently with one hand and removing from it a cell phone, along with a small, high caliber handgun.   
  
She stood and crossed the room silently, expression somewhat distant as she slid the handgun into a previously not-visible shoulder holster in her coat. Moving again towards the suitcase, she pulled from it a cell phone, turned it on, and clipped it to the belt that dangled uselessly around her waist.  
  
" It will be safe to go now ... I've scouted the passage and all's well..."   
  
The crimson clad man tilted his head to the side, a smirk as he procured the phone she had given him earlier, from his coat pocket, looked it over, gave it a twirl like one would a gun and slipped it into his pant leg's pocket -- no drug dealer ghetto look for him ... he had to keep the stylish. He took a stance to her side, arm lifted to lean on her shoulder,   
  
"So this is where it begins, eh? ... I still don't know anything, y'know ... but I guess it won't matter since whatever's around here'll get a nice taste of steel." And he meant everything; monsters, demons, chairs, it didn't matter, however this brought another concern to mind;  
  
"Uh, speaking of which ... Am I going to have to find a new sword or what, babe?" A lighthearted comment from him  
  
"You can get it when we get there ... It may be safer to head there with you now than it would be in the daylight, but the other folks still wander around sometimes, and I don't think stuffing your sword down your pants is going to hide it very well." A silent nod in response to her own statement, Isabella moved forward again and towards the door. Leaning against it, she peered around the corner and slipped out of the room, all that was to follow was a hand beckoning the white-haired man to follow suit.   
  
It was another stealth mission, maybe not on the lookout for people so much, but under the security camera again, and getting him over those broken stairs was going to be a real test.   
  
A brow rose in Isabella's direction, but Dante followed her behind. He was there to work, and perhaps find out a bit more about her. Crouching down behind her, his boots knocked a bit hard on the floor below him, and a squint in his face indicated his embarrassment, or whatever it was. He leaned over her shoulder, looking where she did, offering approximately 1.2 centimeters of maneuvering for her, and whispered near her ear, most likely making his voice much louder than intended,  
  
"Where are we going? ... and what are we hiding from?" .. He seemed a rookie at stealth ... after all, previously it was all just hack and slash for him.   
  
Isabella's head swiveled slightly backwards at the loud sound of her partner's voice, offering him little more than a typical stink-eye death glare, before returning it to its previous position and staring upwards, towards the ceiling. A hand rose to indicate something what was indeed moving some distance ahead of them -- rotating left and right slowly, and sure enough it was a camera.   
  
"That, and any other odd noises you may hear," Isabella whispered. "If you hear anything, hide as fast as you can, but STAY OUT of the camera's field of view ... there's a blind spot right under it..." That said, she moved, back flattened against the wall, and shifted sideways with it across and under the camera, which continued to rotate. Disappearing into the blackness beyond, two bright green orbs appeared as though floating in the midst of the darkness, and a hand beckoned idly to the red-clad hunter.   
  
A smirk as he saw how carefully she moved passed ... Dante just had to ask her why ... but in order to do so, he had to play along -- in his way, of course. Lifting himself up and strolling down the hall as the camera rotated away from him, he pulled out Ebony. Surprisingly, and getting another death stare from Isabella over there, he raised it's barrel to the camera, yet did not shoot, instead, as it came towards him, he simply pushed the camera upwards and over behind him, keeping himself out of it's cone of vision -- it helps to be tall, even if it is just because of boots. He made dash, keeping as silent as possible, over to Isabella and smirked at her.   
  
"Why're we keeping out of sight if we're just going to be breaking this place, anyways?" He offered with an obviously amused tone of voice, yet, it was obvious he'd play Metal Gear for real if she requested it.  
  
"Well, it's not really this place that we are going to be ... "breaking" " Isabella stated as she shook her head in response to Dante's antics before grabbing his hand and moving towards the stairwell. This was going to be the tricky part.  
  
Letting go of his hand almost the same instant, she turned to look the Hunter dead in his eyes; something she did quite well. Without much more than a blink, her attention ascended the stairwell again.  
  
"Do you have a way you could get up those stairs without actually stepping on them? They're too fragile to hold your weight ..."   
  
It was true, she wasn't telling him he was fat, either, but she couldn't see a way to do so without picking him up and chucking him up the stairs ... if he had a better idea, let it be known.   
  
A confused look was present on Dante's face, while one hand reached to apparently search around his pockets, the other was pinching his stomach, checking his body fat.  
  
"Ahh, I seem to have left my grappling hook in my other set of pants, babe." Dante offered as he eyed the stairway and walls, and attempted to hoist himself up, pushing against both sides. While he easily got himself up, it was going to be impossible to move up, let alone get down quietly.   
  
"Little help here? Any ideas?" He grunted, using much of his upper body strength.. there must have been something she could do.  
  
"Like, throw your cat up there in a pole and I'll climb him or something, eh babe?"  
  
"Oh!"   
  
Obviously. Why hadn't she thought of something like that, anyway ... and while Moofie wasn't possibly strong or big enough for what she had in mind, she had placed her hands together, forming a triangle with her fingers, and then flipped her hands upside down. On the floor before Isabella, appeared two red triangles, spinning ... spinning ... spinning, and stopping to form a perfect pentagram, around the perimeter of which formed a circle, and as the pentagram seemed to sink into the floor, from between the cracks in the stone oozed a black substance that soon took form as another familiar black shadow feline.   
  
"I've got to admit, you've got some sort of resourcefulness to you..." Isabella uttered, slinging her hand forward in order to the feline, who's body tensed, before right under the legs of the demon hunter slid a spear-like projection of a head, wide enough for someone to balance across, all the way up to the top of the stairwell.   
  
Having to swing himself up, as he didn't want to let go and ruin their amazing stealth, Dante wrapped a leg around the feline's rigid extension and subsequently crawled all the way up, hanging upside-down, army style. On the landing of the stairwell, he awaited his companion.  
  
"I don't see how anyone can compare to us, you know? They better all just hope they can run faster than I care to chase ... and ... especially with, " A glance to her own little friend. "Y'know, I could really use a few of these for my own personal use." Whatever that meant, he seemed to be amused by it.   
  
" .... "  
  
Isabella didn't even want to think of what uses he'd put to her precious shadow babies, and instead leapt forward towards the stairs -- boots aimed down and ready to crash into the stones below, but just before they collided with them, the sound of soft, padded feet scuffing gently against the stone was heard, and a black cat the size of a large dog scampered up the stairwell without so much as disturbing the fragile lay of the rock, and continued expecting the hunter to follow suit quickly and noiselessly.  
  
"Come on, hunter ... we're almost there..." The bend of a corner taken, and the feline trotted, tail a-waving towards the candle which she had previously gone under, and with a slick and smooth movement, the animal disappeared into the ripples of the wall, only to stick her head out again to see where her partner was.   
  
Dante's eyes grew wide, it wasn't the kind of thing you see everyday, even if one knew something like that could happen at any time with Isabella around. A blink or two as he was now following a talking cat in the loosest sense of the word ... no matter he though, things just kept getting more interesting, which was fine by him, he was sick of the same old. As he stayed behind her, he couldn't help but stare at the physical qualities ... it was almost worth studying, if he were that kind of a guy, as opposed to a break whatever's new because it'll hurt otherwise. The sounds of his footsteps were all that was heard from him... he'd keep his mouth shut about all of her … abilities.   
  
Noting the compliance of her partner, the feline continued on through the wall and down the hallway she had previously been in. The floorboards creaked under even her weight, as she gripped the wood with the pads of her feet to assure that she had proper footing. Something still felt amiss as she peered over her shoulder towards the other end of the new hallway - pitch black as could be. No other sounds save for her own footfalls as she neared the iron door.   
  
Four padded footfalls became the shuffle of two boots as the feline appearance melted away to again reveal the human Isabella. Hands fell on the cold, black iron as she came to a halt, and peered over her shoulder towards her companion, half expectantly, half in contemplation.   
  
A look of disbelief from her partner, but it wasn't exactly like anything else that had happened when he was with her was normal. Dante cocked his head to the side as he walked to the area of the wall that the feline had walked straight through.   
  
"I somehow think this isn't going ..." Dante mumbled, trailing off as he held a hand straight out and pressed on forward. Perhaps expecting to need to be some special sort of creature like she was, he was completely off guard, for his hand reached straight through as he leaned forward. A trip or two in his journey through the wall, but he emerged just as Isabella expected, only with footsteps perhaps a bit louder than her careful treading as he struggled to stay standing. His eyes looked up from the floor and met hers; this was going to be an interesting excursion. The ground creaked from his steps as well as he questioned if it could hold either of them up for long.   
  
Dante swiveled on his heel for a moment, looking to either side, eyes pausing down the hall away from where she was pointed. Apparently something struck both of them about that area.   
  
Allowing her own attention to shift away from her partner, Isabella reached forward, pressing a hand firmly against the battered iron and pushed. There was no movement first, and then a low groan. At the hinges of the door, what look like stone dust and plaster fell, pattering gently against the wooden floor, and with a shudder, it opened. One glance inside, and there was nothing to see. Just black. It was as though the candlelight where they were standing was unable to go through the doorway, because from the point where the doorway started, and away from them, was nothing but darkness. Not a single tile illuminated.  
  
"We have a bit of a hike ahead of us, if I remember right..." the woman noted, tone casual and unmoved as she offered a hand out to her companion, fingers extended, but her vision seemed to skip right over Dante's shoulder and filter off into the opposite end of darkness for a brief second, and then rest again on his face. A solemn, somewhat forced smile had taken the place of a straight-lined set of lips.   
  
Dante backpedaled slightly, a retreat towards the one leading him. His eyes snapped around when all commotion was made from the door and the one pushing it, and settled onto her. His composure seemed quite calm despite the previously sharp movement ... perhaps he was just alert, he didn't seem the type to be frightened. His hand was given to her, but he was already moving himself past her, peering into the room from up close, yet still not a shred of light found its way beyond the doorway.  
  
"I guess you'll be leading the way then... after all that must look all nice and cozy to you, right? ... If there's room for you?" The room itself seemed like one big shadow.   
  
Isabella's facial expression was quite obviously forced, he knew something was up ... but whether it was just her optimism (hah!) and friendliness, or yet another secret that she was keeping from him, he couldn't tell either way.   
  
"Don't worry, it's not all like that there. Close your eyes and hold on to my hand. I don't need to lose you here ..." The remarks themselves less than friendly, if not downright caustic, Isabella's tone was a complete one-eighty, and without giving the white-haired man a chance to respond in any way, she had tightened her grip around his hand and stepped into the void.   
  
There was a strange tugging feeling for a moment, and Isabella felt her fingers loosen slightly from around the hunter's hand as though some opposing force was trying to pry the two apart, but simply responded by tightening her grasp again. The next feeling was one of the floor having disappeared from below them; a split second of a feeling of a rapid descent, and then a sort of weightlessness. Even from behind eyelids, bright flashes of multi-colored light were noticeable, but perhaps the most notable feeling thereafter, was that of a soft, yet solid ground below her boots, a cold breeze, and stagnant air.  
  
Dante's hand had been holding on tight through the whole time, after all, getting lost in pure darkness didn't seem like a good idea. A short yelp was let out as his body seemingly plummeted to the ground, of course the whole little episode was over in a few seconds.  
  
Both eyes opened to see a sort of large, open corridor where the ground was grass and stone alternately in patches, here and there. Isabella looked quickly in the direction of her partner, making sure that he was both there, and to take a quick glance to see if there was anything below him, and surely enough his shadow had been reduced to a nearly nonexistent, light gray outline on the stones. There were no candles, no lights, but somehow the soft glow that existed left her feeling useless and helpless. That aside, she cleared her throat and raised her attention again, towards the hunter.  
  
Dante glanced around, noticing the lack of shadows.   
  
"Hah, I bet this place is actually scary for you, eh?"  
  
"No turning back, now ... Now listen ... If you see a shadow, I want you to run ... and if we get separated, use that phone I gave you to contact me, okay? My number is the only one listed on there ..." Isabella whispered, moving to walk beyond her companion.   
  
However his joking around ceased when she actually suggested he run for his life. No matter, he wasn't in the mood to argue or regain his ego. Instead, he simply nodded his head, and gave a few words of assurance,  
  
"Oh, why do I know that this was just the beginning of all the weird shit that's going to happen when I'm with you ...?" His hand pointed towards her, along with a face showing his sarcasm.   
  
"If I didn't want to go all the way, I wouldn't have met you in the street that night.... lets rock." He smirked towards her. It was her call, he hadn't the slightest clue of what he was doing. He had no clue as to what was going on, although the only way he could explain what was happening, was that he must have been slipped some form of acid earlier. But no, this place had some tricks that could easily cost a life.  
  
"Not only does this place scare me, but I can't do anything here. I'm just as useful as some normal human girl here ..." Isabella hadn't begun joking around, though his lightheartedness was well accepted for now.   
  
"Ah, shit ... y'know, you were my backup, too... well, you've got a gun." By backup, Dante of course meant guide and guardian. He understood the situation, but he wasn't pleased; nevertheless his attitude remained the same as ever, shit-eating grin and all.  
  
Without so much as another word, she had begun walking forward, attention flickering around at every sound and ever-odd movement that caught her eye -- in fact, it didn't seem as though she was familiar with the place, at all. In all reality, it had changed since she last remembered. This wasn't the usual reception chamber at all ... in fact, it was some place she had never even seen before. Instead of letting him know that directly, the black-clad woman continued onward, heading down the long, open corridor ahead.  
  
Overhead, a twitter or two, the flapping of wings, a shrill call, echoing water, jagged rocks. This place looked more like a cavern than a hallway.  
  
It became extremely hard for Dante to keep his eyes focused. Without shadows, things had an indeterminate form to them. Thoughts ran through the white haired one's mind, with a flip of his jacket and his head cocked to ask his partner a question,   
  
"Where exactly are we heading anyway? ... "   
  
"There is a room that I can't go beyond here. It's like something's missing and I can't figure out what." The alternately stone-grass-stone floor had suddenly become solid stone, covered by a dirty, tattered red carpet. Glancing from here to there, stains of purple-red, armor, bones littered the pathway.   
  
It seemed either they were definitely headed the right way, or definitely headed the wrong way. Either way, his guide was concentrating on moving ahead. With each step forward, the corridor looked longer. There were bars on either side of them, but they just led to more decayed corpses chained to walls. Scorch marks littered the walls here and there, and the charred remains of what could have only been previous visitors lay strewn about the area, and were carefully stepped over.   
  
"So you know this place well? Well that's a relief." Dante chuckled slightly as his attention was more on her than the walk, trying to keep his mind off of the annoyance of what seemed to be an endless "hallway". As the scenery changed from a cavern like area to a castle, he began examining the walls as well.  
  
"Are you sure you remember exactly where this is?" A hand ran down a few of the cracks and seems in the wall. He bit the tip of his glove and removed it from his hand.  
  
" ... More or less..." Lies, lies, lies. Isabella hadn't the faintest idea of where they had ended up, and the scorch marks were curious. Perhaps most curious of all were the partially decayed bodies they were coming up to now. The stench, while unbearable in its own right, was somewhat of a welcome change to what was like the scent of fetid sea water. Something curiously glittery caught her eye amongst the pile of corpses, and without warning she had stopped and crouched, hugging her knees to her chest and reached out with one hand to see what it was.   
  
Dante's hand felt the wall, but apparently he was left unsatisfied.. he noticed her actions and was quick to be beside her like a puppy dog.   
  
"What is it?" His eyes glanced upwards at the wall behind the bodies, a split in the wall that the bodies were either covering up, or coming out of. Either way it was bound to be putrid inside of the opening. His hand reached up to pull his turtle neck above his nose -- such a delicate demon, while his still gloved hand began prying away a few of the bodies to look inside.  
  
"You want to go first?" He snorted in disgust, and while his comment wasn't serious ... he waited for an answer, just in case.  
  
"Er --" There was a pause as Isabella watched for a moment, hand still resting between corpses as Dante began pulling corpses out of a split left and right. By the time she looked back at the object, or rather, where it had been previously, there was nothing there. A quick look of confusion crossed Isabella's face as she upturned her questioning stare to the hunter, one brow dodged and the other risen.  
  
"I'm not sure, there was something there a mi-"  
  
Snatch. Something that felt like beef jerky had gripped the wrist resting between bodies, and with a haphazard yelp, attention flew back to the area below. A weathered, shriveled hand was latched about her wrist, and the company that had been pushed out of the wall was starting to move.   
  
  
  


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Author's Notes: beeeeeeef jeeerkyyyyy - Guo 


	9. Omniselciaxi

_It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark  
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart  
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it  
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes,  
You're paralyzed  
  
'Cause this is thriller, thriller night  
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike  
You know it's thriller, thriller night  
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight  
~Thriller, Michael Jackson   
_   
  


** Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Eight  
  
_Omniselciaxi_  
[By Ultema and Guo]   
  
  


A blink of confusion rose from Dante with Ebony not far behind. A bullet as sent screaming from the barrel and was placed directly to the wrist of the offending arm grasping Isabella while his other hand grabbed her elbow and pulled in what may have ended up a game of tug of war until another several shots were used to sever the rotting hand. He glared towards the area in the wall between the strands of hair resting on his face, while his arm continued it's pulling until Isabella had enough momentum to get her body to him. As he glanced around the room, he noticed the friends of the previously dismembered body.   
  
"This isn't going to be pretty ... now might be a good time to put some of your human skills to work with that gun of yours." Dante pulled Isabella against his body, turning her around to face the majority of the heap of bodies as he pulled backwards, bringing her along in a wide spiral, though she didn't appear confused at all as he did so. Ivory was the next one drawn, barrel pointed towards the bodies as well. Even though it would be just like him to burst out with a few shots ... he waited for her last bit of input ... and one quick, though quite important question,   
  
"Now might be a good time for that sword of mine, babe." He allowed one of his guns to hang by the trigger cover in order to allow his palm and finger tips to search her stomach for an opening, and hopefully a hilt.   
  
As Isabella was pulled along, one of her hands reached over to grasp the edge of the long coat she wore, and with a firm tug, the black material was ripped from her body and fluttering between both herself and her partner, and the unusually-quick moving undead that were moving to their feet and ambling towards them. The opposite hand flew to the holster on her shoulder, and the handgun was drawn in a flash of silver. The hand that tossed the black coat flashed behind her back, and from the seemingly useless belt around her waist, a clip seemed to appear in her hand and was slammed into the top of the firearm.   
  
The other hand previously occupied with putting the clip in then moved swiftly to support the butt of the gun, two rounds were fired off through the black material before the coat ever hit the ground, and once it did one, one of the ambling bodies had fallen, and the other seemed sufficiently confused at the loss of an eye.   
  
" Push your hand in! Grab a hold of whatever is solid, and pull!"   
  
Dante did just that, and pressed his hand into her stomach; quite an awkward feeling as anyone could guess, and fished around for what could have possibly been a his sword at one point in time. Surely enough, he met several other sharp objects in there that could have been ribs with teeth, or something of the sort as he searched blindly in the recesses of what as a void-like stomach. A few shots were fired towards random bodies as they started to close in on them. Bullets, while good for stunning, didn't exactly seem to stop any of them. One body in particular was just about gnawing on Dante's shoulder and would most likely be moving towards his brain in a matter of seconds.   
  
If Isabella had more control over her abilities, perhaps this would have been an easy fight ... or at least with his ... his sword. That was it, the hilt was not protruding that thin stomach of hers, his hand soon ripping the sword from the wet, slime-covered bonds. A spin freed him of the clinging corpse, as well as knocking a few back. Dante's cold eyes turned towards his companion's, checking to see if she was alright, after all, he couldn't be quite sure how many of her powers were restricted.   
  
"Ya ok, babe?"   
  
"I'm fine... To your left!" Isabella shouted, even with the sword ripping through her stomach, which didn't seem to faze her at all, she rose the gun eye level with herself and fired blindly towards her partner's left shoulder.   
  
With a quick snap around, Dante looked back just in time to see the body that was about to attack him, fall down. Perhaps it was the distinct sound of gurgling was enough to know that the corpse had been shot in the throat, and it stumbled back. No time for celebration however, as something pounced heavily onto Isabella's back, forcing her to the ground.   
  
There was a grunt and a deft click as her gun bounced against the floor and was sent spinning off towards her partner, all the while Isabella was pressing her hand into the forehead of the creature trying desperately to bite her, legs flailing.   
  
Again, Dante turned his head to view his partner about to be bitten, he swore he'd have whiplash by the time this was over with.   
  
"Isa-!" He called, and pushed out hastily as he made a jump towards her and unsheathed his sword, slashing diagonally downwards towards her. His swipe was made at the instant his feet hit the ground, giving him extra power from his hips; the head of the creature easily severed along with the legs of the nearest other body. Drawing his shoulders back, a he pressed forward forcefully, using the momentum of his turn, stabbing and skewering both the body that had been clinging onto Isabella, along with another two behind her by way of the right side of her ribs.   
  
It was the most logical choice of direction for the blade, and he had assumed and hoped it would be no problem for her to withstand a very mild stabbing. Dante's head turned towards Isabella, his eyes keeping watch above and examining where she was hit. Isabella didn't mind the fact that she had nearly been shishakbobed, but thankful that the rotting flesh bag had been lifted off her. His hand was next to grab her, and pull her up, hopefully the rest of these could be avoided in some way, only the hole the creatures came from, and the depth of the extremely long hallway ahead were valid exits. The right side of her swanky black dress had been torn along the ribcage, and a small leak of black was visible over white flesh, yet it was ignored as she was lifted up and away from the barrage of falling bodies.   
  
Stumbling to regain her balance, she grasped Dante's hand tightly and started to make a run for the end of the long corridor. While the other creatures were moving fast, they had nowhere near the agility the two of them had. Fast and furious she had started to run - her partner not far behind her as the sound of their boots slamming against the ground was loud and deafening, even with the groans of the undead behind them. Isabella kicked the butt of her handgun with a slick motion of her right foot, sending the metallic firearm into the air, and stooped down to grab it. In the distance, an iron gate was visible. It seemed to have fairly large slots.   
  
" Think you can make it through?"   
  
"I'll be fine." Dante grunted, not in purposeful rudeness, but rather it wasn't quite the time to concentrate on politeness. His sword was sheathed onto his back as his hands reached out to grab onto a couple of the bars. Shoving his foot through was the only real part that took effort. Slowly he slid the rest of his body through the bars, inhaling when necessary, and pulling clothing to the side, sword and weapons going through one at a time after he was through. Meanwhile he eyes constantly switched between the following ones and her.   
  
The things behind were gaining, but not a second to look over the shoulder was spared as the woman slipped through the bars with a fair amount of ease and stood on the other side with her partner only to watch their assailants smack into the bars, rattle and shake them snarling rabidly with their withered hands reaching for them; curled, gnarled fingertips outstretched to claw at them. For now, they seemed to be safe from the menace on the other side, but a whole new area had presented itself with their escape from the ambling bodies on the other side; an open hall that once again cast no shadows, with no visible source of light. The air here, more foul than the last.   
  
" What is this...?" Muttered more to herself than to the man next to her, Isabella's hand was rested upon the slick stone wall on the left side, and she continued forward, as though nearly oblivious to the existence of the hunter she had come with.   
  
To the paler one beside her, their situation may have been less dangerous from attacks at the moment, but asphyxiation was a much larger concern to him. With all this senseless running around, a few doubts certainly entered his mind about her. Shrugging off his worries as usual, Dante couldn't help but feel that perhaps she was testing him, or rather, tenderizing him. Either way, he couldn't just stay quiet,   
  
"Hey, babe, don't get me wrong, I love chasing after your little behind as much as the next guy, but where are we going?"   
  
His hand was returned to his glove from earlier. Moving a bit closer to his companion looking for either some sort of truth, or at least reassurance they aren't out looking for some red herring, his hand reached out to glance her shoulder. The look in his eyes was most easily compared to an apologetic look.   
  
"Are you alright?" His eyes ran up and down her body searching for wounds, just as she was. Not once did they even glance at his own condition. It wasn't like him -- his health had always been first in line.   
  
"I'll be fine. How are you holding up?" The distant tone of Isabella's voice was obvious as the mocha-fleshed woman dragged her fingernails over the damp surface of the stone and continued on. The squalid conditions were almost unbearable, even for the likes of her. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't the time to notice the change in concern, though one could be assured that it would be met with a wry remark one way or another.   
  
" ... And as for where we are going, I think we'll know when we get there ... I haven't seen this place before ... it's like things have changed since I've last been here, everything's all wrong ..." Considerable worry wracked her nerves, and a real dungeon crawl wasn't what she was looking forward to. The path previously had always been rather straight forward, no turns, no twists, and certainly no horrid-smelling animated bodies trying to take a limb off. Something was obviously wrong.   
  
"Huh .. changed." It was odd to think of a castle changing, especially hallways and rooms. Nevertheless, Dante nodded in response. He wasn't going to argue or stop, instead, all this would keep him on his toes. Eyes kept on her, not out of distrust, but to protect her. A hand quickly moved up to bring his shirt up over his nose and mouth, a slight feeling of regurgitation caused his eyes to bulge slightly, sweat beginning to run down his forehead. Blood, gore, killing -- none of that had any effect on him -- he dealt with it daily, and feelings can be ignored, but it wasn't like he could turn off his nose (as much as he'd like to).   
  
"I don't see myself making it too much further out of choice... so we should either find a way out of this, quickly... or find something to keep my stomach from lying out here with those guys." Dante's left hand made a general swipe in the direction of where the undead beings were, right hand still over his mouth. It wasn't just him being a sensitive little boy, it was distracting, difficult to use weapons properly, when all your concentration was going into keeping your stomach acids where they were. The lighting and hallway was also a bit suspicious to him, seemingly camouflaging something.   
  
"I'm looking ... I'm looking ... " Isabella let out a harsh whisper as she paused in front of the wall, hands sliding over the surface of the stone, which, in this place, was covered by what looked like a thick coat of clear sludge. It was leaking in from the cracks in the ceiling, or so it appeared.   
  
A wrinkle of her nose sent the woman backpedaling in disgust, wringing her hands off as the thick substance fell to the ground with a distinct plop. This smelled more strongly than anything else in the area, and it's less than pleasant, sulfur-and-ass odor didn't do anything for her, but that up there caught her attention. It was obvious something really disgusting was up above, but there was nowhere to go in that direction, just a wide open area with a few pillars here and there, dried bloodstains and scorch marks.   
  
"I don't know ... I can't figure this out ..."   
  
Ebony was already aimed directly where Isabella had been poking around. This was about all that Dante could take, his face now buried in his jacket, he began firing off bullets in succession. One after the other, bullets impacted in the cracks in the ceiling, and one after another pieces of the disgusting bile came flying out in reaction. A shuffle step to the side in order to stand in front of Isabella, and dodge the nastiness, he was about to give up. One last shot, this time Ivory pulled and fired at the same time; two bullets, accidentally set on a precision path to collide at the same time as reaching the crack. The work of a true gunslinger, or a man who was about to taste his lunch again.   
  
A crack bore across the ceiling where the two bullets hit, and a slight rumble was felt, causing a slight stagger in Dante's steps, which were now bringing him backwards, away from whatever he may have just broken, one hand reaching out to take hold of his partner's arm.   
  
Of course, his partner wasn't one to stand back idly and be protected, Isabella peered around the body of the red-clad man before her, only to watch as chunks and streams of muck splattered on the uneven ground below. Fragments of the stones forming the ceiling above shattered on contact with the ground and the rumble that happened soon thereafter was something that caught her off balance, until Dante had grasped her arm and pulled her backwards.   
  
And a good thing, too. At the moment the rumbling had ceased and all looked well, the jagged crack widened into a visible fissure above their heads, and with what sounded like the snapping of wooden beams, a portion of the ceiling caved in all together with a monstrous thud. A cloud of dust wafted through the air, and the scent had become so strong all of a sudden, that she was forced to slam her hand over her mouth to keep herself from gagging.   
  
"Christ, what is that stench?!" Isabella whimpered, one hand grasping the back of her partner's coat as the other alternated between batting at the dust, and covering her mouth. Questions were all too soon answered as the dust settled below the sound of falling debris from above; a sludge-covered limb twitched idly from below the mass of rubble before them, and another portion moved, before all together it was pushed away to reveal a twisted concoction of creature, held together by the strength of its own substance. No head visible, but plenty of eyes, hands, arms and legs -- like a mass of body parts thrown together to form a single being.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes** Yeah yeah, bizarre chapter break up, but it's hard :P Anyway things are starting to slow down a bit what with being sidetracked and tired all the time now. Uploading and whatnot will still continue, but more likely at a slower pace than before. I'm lazy, though this is spring break finally. X.x 


	10. Fall

_Sometimes, in our lives   
We all have pain, we all have sorrow   
But, if we are wise   
We know that there's always tomorrow   
  
Lean on me, when you're not strong   
And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on   
For, it won't be long   
Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on   
  
Please swallow your pride   
If I have things you need to borrow   
For no one can fill   
Those of your needs that you won't let show  
~Lean on Me, Bill Withers_   
  
  


** Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Nine  
  
_Fall_  
[By Ultema and Guo]   
  
  


His eyes widened with the sudden destruction of his cause, of course the falling of debris was dangerous, and sure the body parts were relatively disgusting, but what concerned him was the stench. Squatting down, Dante's head flung between his legs and while nothing came out, he couldn't have felt worse. An eye looked up towards what seemed to be some sort of living pile of human garbage. "For some reason, I don't want to try diplomacy on this shitpile..."  
  
Standing up slowly, stepping to the side of Isabella, he motioned his head forwards and to the side once with a slight grunt coming out to form jumbled words and lips pressed off to the side of his mouth. Whatever details he was trying to get across, it couldn't have looked like much more than a spasm suggesting that they, _"K'ck't's ass."_ Not quite sure of what it could possibly do, besides start to throw limbs and smell bad, he kept on the defensive for just that reason.   
  
Looking somewhat disturbed at the fact that this pile of parts was more or less breathing -- or something, as it contracted and expanded with a more horrid scent each time (probably due to the rotting flesh that covered it), it took a minute for Isabella to actually gain any sort of composure from either the sight or the smell. Though noting that the longer this thing was around, the more likely Dante was going to die of asphyxiation, the small handgun she had produced earlier was risen upwards -- the black silhouette of the feline running down the side, and the gold lettering of F E L I S glittered for a brief moment as she seemed to plant herself firmly to the ground, opposite hand supporting the butt of the gun as she took a careful aim towards the center of the -- thing (since the center was often times the most vital part of things), and with an ear-shattering blast, were two bullets sent screaming towards their intended target, and the kick was being recoiled from.   
  
The creature, on the other hand, barely seemed to notice the blazing pieces of metal that entered its vicinity as on contact it merely stayed still, contracting and expanding, contracting and expanding. Though a moment's wait longer proved to show that the nasty did indeed have a trick or two up its sleeve, aside from sitting still and stinking.   
  
A portion of the limbs split, and from within arose a thin tentacle like projection with what looked like a bulb at the end. Glistening with the thick, wet substance, it wavered for a moment, before starting to emit a bright, blue-white glow and a low-pitched hum...   
  
The odd sound and light paled in comparison to its effects. The two had only recently noticed that the falling body parts were in fact assembling themselves into self-sufficient humanoid bodies themselves. As the blue beam compressed the surrounding air, every one of the newly created dead bodies that got caught in its path seemed to be crushed slightly followed by a disintegrating effect. Not something either of them wanted to be caught in, they dove in opposite positions. Dante, taking to the air, fired rapidly and alternately at the remaining bodies below. Somehow, he managed to keep himself airborne, with both firing power and a series of jumps off of the bodies. Guns quickly holstered, his hand slid back to grasp the hilt of his sword, and drew it in an attempt to sever the wavering tentacle, which fired the beam.   
  
His sword made contact, however, it was not on the limb, instead it hit the tail end, revealing yet another. The creature had formed legs with the parts contained inside, and scurried away much faster than he could have expected a sitting lump of dead decaying flesh was able to. His eyes immediately went to Isabella, who, like a frightened rabbit, turned tail and fled. She seemingly was the target of this attack. Occupied with shoving his way through the bodies which began to cling to him, only a few shots were made in her general direction as a heads up before he was totally consumed under a pile of the living dead.   
  
Isabella's immediate reaction to the sound of Dante's shots was to move faster. Not because she was afraid of dying -- that wasn't the case at all, but the fact that being torn to shreds wasn't going to help her in the long run, and make her less useful all around. At least the lack of shadow didn't destroy her agility or speed, for as the multi-limbed monstrosity sped in her direction, she made a run towards the wall.   
  
Surprisingly enough, the pile of mobile fertilizer was steadily gaining on the woman, whom at the last moment leading up towards the wall, leapt upwards and with the fluidity of the feline that was so obviously present in her, hands touched down on the cold stone, and then feet, and pushed off at the same time into a roll, before coming out of it just as quickly as she had dove into it, and she was back on her feet. The sound of a dull, wet thwack against the wall, and a shrill screech that came from neither of the humanoids present was enough to let her know to move onto the next point of business.  
  
Her boots skidded across the floor as she turned, not allowed the time to slow down to make it as she raced her way towards her partner. A shoulder bore down on one of Dante's assailants, and with her speed, weight and force behind it, was knocked completely out of the way and into another ambling body toppling the two over like dominos. It didn't seem like her handgun was going to cut it, this time.   
  
"Dante!!" Isabella cried furiously, clawing frantically at the walking undead in hopes of finding her partner whole under the mess. A wary glance cast behind her as the larger, whole being seemed to be getting itself back together after the initial shock of slamming headlong into the wall.   
  
At the very bottom, under the huge pile of bodies, was Dante. A small area on one side seemed to start collapsing, bodies falling down in a row, piling up as opposed to climbing on. With a shout, a small section was pushed outward while Isabella's pulling took off enough to allow Dante out at the same time.   
  
Coat turned brown from the residue of the decaying bodies, cuts on his face and ones on his chest were visible through his vest as well. Gasping for air through his mouth, the stench didn't seem to be a factor at the moment. Staggering to his feet, he reached down to Isabella, even though he'd most likely be using her as a leaning post more than she would, and began a trot using the energy he had before completely regaining his breath. Knocking bodies to the side, up in the air, or blasting their 'heads' off, he attempted to gain a small bit of ground and devise a strategy.   
  
"What the hell is its weak point, soap?!" He panted out, head turning over his shoulder only to view the beast bearing down on them again. "Lets split up and attack both ends!" Not exactly allowing her much input this time around -- the time in the round was much too short to devise a real plan.   
  
By splitting up, he obviously meant that he'd throw her in the other direction of him as he leapt to the side, sword's blade out. As the conglomerated pile of bodies charged at both, it couldn't switch to both directions at once, in fact, it almost seemed to slip onto its "stomach" and twist to the side slightly, like a dog after a hare. Dante's sword was out just far enough to pierce the belly of the rotting flesh, with an extra push from the shoulders, his blade at a forty-five degree angle, the contact released a steaming hot chunky liquid onto the ground. A cry was let out from each of the mouths on the bodies as an extension of the thing was formed and reached out towards him, grasping him around the stomach.  
  
What could Isabella possibly do without her abilities, and the fact that her gun did squat?. The conglomeration of parts was occupied with the hunter at the moment, a swift glance around and Isabella found the only other thing she could try. Reaching down and picking up a splintered rafter that had fallen with the collapse of the ceiling, she wielded the beam of wood (which was twice her width) in the fashion of a lance. It would have been better for it to face her while he did the attacking, after all.   
  
Her boots kicked up the loose gravel on the ground as she vaulted forward, head ducked down as though readying to use herself as some sort of battering ram, and as though to get the thing's attention she called out a loud, rumbling yell full of determination and adrenaline. As she drew nearer at an alarming speed, the sound of her boots slamming hard against the floor below, part of the creature split once more, revealing a black, churning substance about a glimmering gold orb, another wavering tentacle shot up into the air with a distinct hum, but instead of stopping in her tracks, she pressed on, and with a heave of her shoulders she had plunged the rafter deep through the limbs and towards the swirling black orb within.  
  
There was a sharp jolt as the beam hit something, followed by the ungodly sound of a hundred screaming voices as the newly revealed tentacle spasmed, went rigid, and blasted downwards straight towards its assailant. In less time than it takes to blink, the rigid appendage had found itself lodged through the lower part of Isabella's abdomen and had her pinned against the wall with a hard thump and a low grunt.   
  
Once again Dante found himself scrambling to his feet, this time it was he rushing to Isabella's aid. For a moment, he had forgotten that sort of thing didn't hurt her, a caustic shout emanated from the man as he ran towards the part impaling Isabella. Slowed down again by shoving through the bodies, the creature had already begun to charge up for shooting at him. The toes of his boots pressing hard on the ground, he leapt into the air at the last second, and the bright beam sliced through parallel to the ground. His legs pulled up just above the light, and staying aloft with Ebony and Ivory firing away just barely long enough to avoid being blasted to oblivion, he landed atop the creature. A downward slice with the swiftly drawn sword at the tentacle holding his partner severed it, though not releasing her, she'd have to pull out herself; it was all he could get out before the creature shook him to the ground, his legs getting caught on the way down. He stabbed inwards forcefully with hopes of landing a blow in a critical area. With a splitting sound again, he was able to slice one side half open. The bodies and scrap flesh split back revealing a larger glowing orb similar to the ones on the tentacles, in fact, connecting the tentacles. Delaying himself a bit more in order to turn to see if his companion needed help, a few gurgling noises began to seep out of the opened gut.   
  
As soon as the wriggling had ceased, and the tentacle pinning her to the wall was severed, both of Isabella's hands already had grasped the portion closest to her body and yanked the offending appendage from out of her stomach, now wet with a thick black substance. Certainly it wasn't going to kill her, but it wasn't peachy either, as it inhibited her movement for a time until it would heal up, and without the shadows around it could take a while.  
  
But by now, she was running on pure adrenaline. Slinging the limp tentacle aside, she was already advancing towards the gurgling, thrashing creature at a top speed.  
  
Halfway to her destination however, it seemed that her form flickered in and out of reality briefly. With a shimmer, it seemed that each feature melded into something completely different. A flash of bright violet light, and the jangling of chains and jewelry, coupled by the distinct snort of an inhuman beast, the padding of heavy paws against the ground, and the sudden rip of flesh and a shock of crimson spray happened all at once. In another glimpse, the multi-limbed creature had been assaulted by a mammoth, accessory laden feline with a pair of dagger-like teeth a good foot and a half in length. Bright green slits for eyes narrowed, a sanguine glitter on the forehead and patterns of alternating black - blue - purple - white flooded over the sleek, taut lines of what appeared to be an enormous saber-toothed cat with paws the size of Dante's head ripped, tore and mauled its way through the rotting limbs, desperately seeking out its core.   
  
Dante blinked in disbelief at the transformation of his partner. After a quick double take, his attention was again drawn to the multi-limbed creature, just as he was shoving his sword in towards where he saw the glimpse of the inner core, the bodies began to fall from the creature faster than usual, without regrowing or climbing to the top. The weight of the falling pieces loosened his grip as well as pulled his arms to the ground, dropping to one knee. One hand never letting go of the hilt, a gun was drawn to shoot at the almost completely barren creature in front of them. One tentacle missing, the other again charging up, the inner core was completely visible, sitting in the center of a huge conglomeration of pinkish grey flesh. Without much warning the beast began to slowly spin, though it was obviously gaining speed,   
  
"This ain't good... Isa!" Dante shouted over the high-pitched squeal of energy; his partner, most likely right about through the bodies now, was being aimed at.  
  
Bodies flung left and right, a flurry of fangs and battering, but at the sound of Dante's voice, the massive feline paused in its massacre only to prop itself upon its hind legs. With the sound of unsheathed metal and the ferocious call of two hellish beasts, several knife-like claws were released from their homes as liquid metal musculature worked ever so smoothly. Below the blackened hide of the giant feline, the movement of flesh over muscle was clearly visible as the raking devices were extended and lashed out at the tentacle aiming to destroy.   
  
Dual contact, as the swipe moved through the flesh connecting the tentacle to the core, the tentacle released a searing blade of light that caught the feline squarely in the chest and flung it backwards, sprawled out against the floor with an impact that rattled the foundation of what was left of the area. Dust fell to the floor, wood cracked, stone shattered in spots as the once writhing mass of bodies thrashed about wildly in its throes, several beams of light shredding the walls, scorching them, and destroying others.   
  
Not one to miss the opportunity to strike, Dante had already retrieved his blade by the time that the feline and creature had mutually hit each other. The distraction, and although he hated to use Isabella as one -- cringing when she was knocked backwards, it only infuriated him more -- was all he needed. Amidst the flying beams of the damaged tentacle, he charged inwards, plunging his blade towards the flesh in the center. The sound of a form of blood pouring out of the wound he was inflicting, a cry coming from some unknown orifice, and the tearing of flesh filled the air. A thrust more and his blade thrust yet deeper into the center of the now thrashing beast, and a cracking sound of it's inner core as Dante's sword pierced it.   
  
A light emitted from the cracks, seeping out of all the holes in the brain-like center as well. Its thrashing turning into a rigidness in all directions, stretching apart, torn apart by the light from within the core, and resulting in a sudden separation into hundreds of pieces. Pieces of body and tentacles rained for a moment, a piece landing atop Dante's head as well as pieces of flesh dripping down his once shiny, red leather jacket.   
  
Panting loudly, sweat dripped off of his chin as his legs struggled to bring him over to where the fallen feline last lay, leaving his sword where it fell.   
  
Even in that length of time, said feline had reverted back to being the same human Isabella, sprawled haphazardly along the floor, with her hands over her head as though protecting herself from the rain of gore that spattered all around. Cuts abound, blackness leaking from almost every limb, after the rain had ceased her hands fell away from her head, only to leave her peering ruefully up from the ground to her likewise, battered companion, who, currently a wreck in all respects, just stared at her, fearing for her life. There was silence for a moment ... a lingering stare ... before ...   
  
The sound of giggling ... slowly erupting into a shaking laughter sounding somewhere between relief and complete insanity, which had thus turned promptly into tearless sobbing, and then laughing choked between it all. Certainly this was a first time experience, from her sprawled position she managed to get herself to her knees.  
  
" I -- aha.. I can't go on ... Let's ... let's just go back for now..."   
  
As soon as she began laughing, Dante felt his knees shake, nearly collapsing to the ground.  
  
"Jeeeesus, don't DO that.. "   
  
A hand was placed on her shoulder in companionship ... they really were in this together, but what did she say? Go back? Now? That was completely unorthodox in his way of doing things ... they were in this far, there's no way they were going to go back through all that just to do it again, and who knows what else if their presence is known in this place. Nope, never.   
  
"Soundin' good to me, babe..." He smirked at Isabella, a hand lifted her arm over his shoulder, and subsequently helped her to her feet, keeping most of her weight on him.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes** :D;; Sorry about the lack of updates. Been busy, lazy, tired, and occupied with Ragnarok Online (since the US server's down for ten days, I may as well update XD!!) So much more coming @_@ and a little bit of subtle comic relief provided by an unlikely duo. ^_^; 


	11. Take a Chance

_To the music  
Come on get up and dance to the music  
Get up get up and dance  
  
If you feel it in your bones, yeah  
I suggest you get it on girl  
Yeah you better not blow this chance now  
Here's the music get up and dance yeah  
Yeah yeah  
  
Move move move to the funky beat  
And we're groovin  
Groovin groovin groovin  
Till you're hot as heat  
And we're move  
Move move move to the funky beat  
And we're groovin  
Groovin groovin groovin  
Till you're hot as heat  
~Get up and dance, Freedom  
  
_   
  
  


** Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Ten  
  
_Take a Chance_  
[By Ultema and Guo]   
  
  


It was amazing really, as a number of huge red eyes watched the pair move on somewhat passively. Perhaps they knew it or not, but the splitting of the ceiling wasn't a direct effect of Dante's bullets alone. It had gone unnoticed surprisingly enough, but the northernmost wall of the open area was partially the body of an enormous bird. So large, in fact, that one of its deeper breaths seemed to have jarred the foundation of the upper level the same time that the Demon Hunter had fired so accurately.   
  
Inconspicuous and completely obvious at the same time, as the two humanoids shuffled out of his field of view, the bird shifted a pair of eyes in the general direction of what was apparently its left wing. These quarters were extremely cramped for something of its size, and he had been there quite some time.  
  
"They're gone." An unusually low, ebbing voice poured forth from between the multiple pairs of beaks that somehow formed a single mouth.  
  
A few moments after the voice stated the obvious, hands emerged from the wing section of the "wall." Spreading the feathers apart, the dark mask of Vergil peered through the space.   
  
"I can see that..." Having a large amount of trouble getting in between the feather shafts with his immobile suit of armor, he tripped, staggering forward and catching himself right above one of the largest pieces of the creature the two had just defeated.  
  
"Are you sure it was a good idea to let them leave? ... After all, I'm sure _**he**_ would have liked to have them brought to **him**." The tone of his voice was one that suggested arrogance. A surprising comment from the man who actually helped the two's cause before ... of course he didn't know whether anyone knew that or not, namely the bird he was talking to.  
  
"We're here to observe, not interfere -- _yet_." In response to the tone of voice the masked figure used, the feathers seemed to push outwards slightly as the massive bird aired them out. His caustic tone reverberating more loudly than before, as he was sure the duo was out of range by now.   
  
A single crimson eye turned to consult the figure of Vergil from a distance, as he was still unable to move from his spot just yet. A clawed foot appeared from under the wing, before the beast of an avian pushed himself up with a low groan, as it seemed even demons had their shares of aches and pains in physical bodies. The "wall" removed, an open courtyard appeared on the other side, slick with rain.  
  
"And since when have _you_ wanted to turn _her_ in?"   
  
Vergil turned his head slightly... very slightly, in fact it seemed as though that was as far as his armor would allow it to go. The "humph" resounded a few times in an odd, artificial sounding echo, was all that was given in response to the bird. He reached down and retrieved a piece of what looked like the brain.  
  
"I still can't believe they were able to take out that disgusting concoction of death that Mundus loved oh so much, so quickly..." Throwing the piece down, it splattered into multiple pieces with an odd squishing sound. Vergil almost seemed to shudder within his armor when he talked about the creature. He didn't quite understand what was so appealing about rotting flesh.  
  
In a flash of light, and he was facing the other direction, standing in the middle of the courtyard. Not too far forwards seemed to be another exit, perhaps even right out of the castle -- which would probably annoy Dante beyond belief if he found he could circumvent the whole tunnel process. The courtyard was perhaps the exact opposite of the area they were just in. It was clean, fresh smelling, and absolutely gorgeous -- lush greenery, marble fountain, a true pleasure to the senses.   
  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Vergil's arm rose up above his head, and cupped his hand towards the bird, signaling it to come follow him.   
  
Without response to Vergil's lack thereof, the bird ambled towards his current companion, looming stories above the shorter figure with his feathers still fluffed outwards; beads of rain repelled by the resistant, ridged-but-fluffy-soft quills as his footsteps brought a slight shaking sensation to the entire ground. Truthfully, it was a wonder that the whole place hadn't come down already. It didn't take too long for him to come abreast of the other, where he paused and took an idle glance towards the swirling clouds above.  
  
"Don't forget, Euryon is one of us, as well. And the other is not exactly useless, either. Omniselciaxi is only so effective. It was bound to happen, we simply must come up with something better, next time." Strangely calm for the massive, multi-headed bird, he turned again, to bring half of the many eyes that surrounded his mouth towards the Knight so many feet below. Though his calmness wasn't entirely out of character, it depended on whom he was dealing with.   
  
Vergil knew he was right. Dante was most likely a formidable opponent for either of them. But nevertheless, it wasn't helping his situation with his master, Mundus ... or with Isabella, and therefore, he had a reason to be upset, in his mind.   
  
"Well, we aren't to let them out of our sight... " The clanking of his feet made an interesting combination of sound and vibration when combined with the fluttering of his avian companion. In other words, just about anyone who wasn't deaf and had half a brain could tell they were coming for miles away.   
  
It was around dinner time they finally arrived to the part of the castle where Dante and Isabella were staying. It wasn't a long walk or anything, but the difficulties of moving within the castle with an enormous bird, as well as a 'coffee break' every couple minutes just to talk delays one's actions quite a bit. When Vergil made it to the outside of the door he crouched down, at first attempting to look through the keyhole, and later decided that he'd have to remove his helmet in order to see anything.  
  
"Ah, they're about to eat dinner."  
  
For some reason, it just didn't seem like much of a surprise considering they had seen the butler bring them food from down the hallway just a few minutes prior.   
  
Lucky for the both of them, the mammoth bird had found it more economical to not squeeze himself through too much of the more populated corridors, and remain outside away from any windows or prying eyes. The last thing anyone needed was for some small child to come up and proclaim that a big "birdie" was sitting outside, staring in the windows. The weather seemed to be in their favor, thankfully, as the rain continued to pour heavily.  
  
"I'm surprised," the bird cooed coolly as yet again a single huge eye bore down on the walking suit of armor. "At meal times here, the humans put on a dinner and dance for their guests. I wouldn't think Euryon would pass that opportunity up." But then again, it was also surprising that Euryon had passed up the opportunity to devour the Hunter. After all, it tended to work in such a way where despite the ends Isabella wanted to meet, Euryon was sure to want a snack or two.   
  
The intelligent beast's voice was easily heard through the window, to just about anyone within a 50 foot radius, luckily some sort of argument was keeping the pair's attention in the room, although one of them did stutter when he had spoke.  
  
"Would you be quiet?! At least talk quietly..." Vergil had started in a shout and ended in a whisper. "It seems as though they're arguing about something... maybe whether to go back? ... I can't tell -- no wait ... it's about..." He trailed off, as Dante's voice got louder.  
  
"For the last time, I'm NOT going to the dance!" Dante's arms crossed over his chest for a moment, before glancing down at his food, and deciding to take another spoonful of the slop that they were having.  
  
Vergil couldn't help but chuckle, luckily the sound of his laugh was not quite as distinguishable, nor as loud with out his helmet on.   
  
" ...... " The bird simply refrained from speaking, though thoughts of not being a parrot were swimming through his mind as he sat in the rain, watching his companion take up what could have been the flag of a voyeur and stalker. Keen ears trained on the voices within, several brow-ridges cocked on each of the many heads perched on his shoulders.  
  
"Why are you _so_ disagreeable!?" Isabella bellowed out, now standing at the door with her hands on her hips, her backside in full view of the keyhole for a moment or two before she proceeded to storm her way towards her partner.  
  
"Come on, we're going!" Her voice rang out again, as Griffon found his mind wandering aimlessly on the fact that a demoness could be so human. He would have laughed, would it not have been an utter giveaway and completely out of his personality.  
  
Vergil seemed to have almost drooled when Isabella was near the door, beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. His hand lifted to loosen his collar, unnoticing of Isabella's new intent. By the time he looked back through the keyhole, she was basically opening the door. Having stayed there probably wouldn't be a good idea, and hiding against a wall or pretending he was a butler wasn't exactly a great choice either, after all, it wasn't like a large man in a clunky black, neon glowing suit of armor was incon-fucking-spicuous, was it? Grabbing his helmet and teleporting in a flash through the window at the last second, reappearing above the griffon, who's back he soon fell onto. Scrambling not to fall of the incredibly large bird, he got into a position to view the hallway.  
  
Dante's eyes had refused to even look in her general vicinity since she even suggested the idea. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have much of a choice as to whether or not they'd be attending the ball. Every excuse imaginable failed miserably:  
  
"I don't have the clothes."  
  
"I can't dance."  
  
"I hate crowds."  
  
"I have a broken leg."  
  
Didn't matter, his hand was grabbed without his knowing and forced through the doorway. Being dragged down the hallway by a woman half his size wasn't exactly in good taste, nor helpful to one's observational skills. Nevertheless, he managed to catch a glimpse of something outside of the window. Something a lot larger than he probably realized considering they were several stories up. Ignoring it for now since his concentration was placed in his wrist, which he was about to gnaw through himself if she didn't let go.   
  
"Al- Alright! Gah! Ok!" Gave in just like that, with the mere threaten of the loss of a hand; must make Isabella wonder how much good he'll be after all. Attempting to regain his footing, the hand that was still intact was used to brush off a gleaming cherry trench coat. His chin raised slightly towards her, grinning as if impressed by her strength. "...I hope you can dance...". Almost sounded like a challenge. His eyes narrowed and quick friendly nudge was offered to her shoulder.   
  
"Oh, I can. I just hope you can.." Isabella's response was in kind to his, friendly by all means and designs as she looped an arm between that of her partner's. It seemed that, even if he hadn't the clothes to bring for their little evening excursion, she had. At least they were matching now, since her own attire had changed from the shining black (and subsequently torn) every-occasion dress to the fire engine red tango gown. It was about as impossible as anything to tell, only a short while beforehand she had been in the bowels of the area fighting for her health and her partner's life from a decaying conglomeration of body parts, and she'd been torn up a good deal -- bright and buoyant, not a single cut visible anywhere on her body.   
  
She'd even apparently found the time to fix her hair - all pulled upwards atop her head, a few curled ringlets plastered to high boned cheeks, and down to the nape of her neck. Plum lips glistening, bare legs and red stilettos - she'd gone all out and it was obvious by her demeanor this was something she truly looked forward to.   
  
A few steps ahead was an extremely ornate door, a servant waiting to receive the guests for the night. As Dante grew closer his feet began to move less and less.   
  
"Uhh... Y'know I think I saw something back ... near our room ... I mean, we want to get the jump on any of those, things that could be ambushing us, right? ... So we better ... y'know, go back babe. Really, we can dance later." He smirked. It was actually a rather intelligent idea, however he somehow knew it wasn't going to work. He began to turn around and walk the other way when the butler spoke.   
  
"Oh, you're late Miss Isabella..." Of course they were, it took a fight just to get him out of the room. It seemed as though they were all waiting for them. "You're the guest of honor..."   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes**   


**_Sorry for the lack of updates, we = lazy. Sexy dancing Dante and much more to come, so ... yeah. -Gup _**


	12. Sad Salsa

_Oh yeah, whatcha think about that?  
Break it on down with the baby black cat  
Oh baby wanna letcha know  
For a long time I've loved you so  
C'mon baby run away with me  
And I guarantee we're gonna live happily  
Ha ha ha haa~  
~Black Cat, Pump it Up (Korean)  
_   
  
  


** Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Eleven  
  
_Sad Salsa_  
[By Ultema and Guo]   
  
  


"Well if they're near our room now, if we come back later then we WILL have the advantage, no?" The red-clad female offered in response, grasping Dante's arm as he turned on his heels to leave, and offering a gentle smile in response to the butler, she gave a light tug to her 'date's' arm towards the room ahead. The double doors were parted just enough to take a glimpse of the inside of the room, and several couples were already lined up in their most extravagant attire.   
  
Opened more-so, the entire area was open for all to view. Tugged along with or without his own accord, Dante was forced to scan over the entire place. Not only did he stick out like a sore thumb here, but even the decorations were somewhere out of his league. Skipping over the participants for now, the room itself was brilliantly lit, almost as though the walls were made of pure gold, as the radiance of the sun and the massive, pure crystal chandelier above lit the whitewashed stone walls casting a brilliant sun gold sheen on everything around them. The floor was superbly polished; easy enough to see every single detail of his own attire, right down to the specs of lint on his dirty coat.   
  
There was a large window on the other side of the room letting the sun in, which was odd considering it was raining still, but the light was as brilliant as could be. Along the northern walls were multiple stands for refreshments, and the southern, eastern, and western walls were lined with seats and tables.   
  
There were only ten couples present, including themselves, that were actually staying in the Pousada, but there were other guests of what appeared to be high prestige, and each of them acknowledged Isabella with a sort of knowing nod or smile, getting the same in response from the Guest of Honor. It was almost too weird.   
  
Though that sort of a situation would normally cause one to be extremely uncomfortable, perhaps embarrassed, Dante showed almost no emotion whatsoever. Feelings buried deep down inside, it had been a while since any had shown through, and this didn't appear to be a time to let them. His eyes wandered to each of the other couples, grinning towards the female partner's, tastefully, of course. A nod of his head to the side in the direction of his soon-to-be-dance-partner signaled that, while he wasn't freaking out, it was probably time to get out of the spotlight. He felt slightly odd allowing her to lead, but since he didn't exactly have much experience dining with royalty, he might as well follow her.   
  
As he noticed her nodding to each of the other attendants, he wondered how she could possibly know all of these people if this was the place she was constantly trying to ransack. Dante concluded that perhaps it was just customary, and he began nodding to each of the ones as they each took their turn staring at him, not surprisingly, he was given a puzzled and arrogant look by quite a few with the occasional smile from a female and one wink from the young man at the left most table.   
  
While speech felt a bit out of place to Dante at the moment, his stomach wasn't shy. A gurgle or two could be heard coming from the man's stomach. A slight twitch in his upper lip and a hand placed on his stomach gave away the fact that he was hungry. His feet, arm still entwined with Isabella's, began to carry him over to the nearest plate where food would be served, most likely attempting to bypass any further such 'formalities.'   
  
Suddenly pulled out of her royal advance down the center of the groups of people by her ever so graceful partner, Isabella stumbled slightly as she was led off towards the food, only getting some surprised, if not mildly amused grins, snickers and under-the-breath-comments from several of the others that were present. Offering a sweet smile in return to their brow raising, she waved a hand in much the 'I'll be back in a second' fashion.  
  
"Well, I guess it was _some_ sort of accomplishment on my part getting you here..." She sighed, coming to a stop beside her date for the night and casting a longing glance over her shoulder towards the others as they mingled about with one another. Not that she didn't want to be around the hunter, she'd grown rather used to, and fond of him in terms of personality, but she wanted to do what she came here for -- dance.   
  
His hand reached down and scooped a few of the hors d'oeuvres up and began feeding his face, not caring to sit down. He flicked his hair slightly to the side in order to allow his right eye a clear view to his companion. Realizing he wasn't quite being mannerly, he straightened his back out, turned his torso towards her, and smirked, angling his head downwards slightly.   
  
"What is it babe, am I not being a good date?" He questioned as the band struck up the first song of the evening, a tango. Chuckling slightly under his breath, he took her hand in his, lifting it up and planting a kiss on the back of her palm, holding it outwards, away from his body. "... Why don't you lead?" A subtle grin showed his sincerity accompanied his words. Whatever it was he meant by 'lead', whether it was who to meet, where to sit. surely he wasn't expecting what she had planned.   
  
But he did ask for it, after all.  
  
All at once, Isabella tightened her grasp around the hunter's hand and pulled him out to the floor. Her happy expression had fled considerably to leave a somewhat bitter, determined Isabella left, tight-lipped and silent as she pulled one of her now bewildered partner's arms out and pushed it forward, grasped his shoulder, put his hand on her waist, and more or less slammed her chest into his, and kicked the bottom of her dragging dress out of the way - the slit up the side exposing an obviously powerful thigh that did, in fact, start leading to the music.   
  
While it took a few moments for him to get centered, Dante brought his face up to hers, foreheads pressing against each other. A few awkward steps following hers, he quickly pulled her waist to his stomach, and arched his back towards her. With a quick movement, a sharp turn on the beat, they were slightly out of place since he was now the one leading. A few gawks from the spectators included awe both for intrigue and pure ridiculousness. They hadn't seen anything, for a few steps later he was attempting to dip her. That feat would be quite impressive considering her obvious strength, which was slowly being put to work. Still, the look on his face, sweat starting to roll down his forehead, he was straining quite hard to get her to do what he wanted, however long that could last.   
  
Still, as with all tangos, the woman kept a completely emotionless expression as she fought back for control over the situation. Their hands, conjoined ahead of them, were now starting to shake as her muscles tightened, her grip being reestablished somewhat. The only problem with his turn on the beat was that she hadn't the time to move her dress, and she was forced to start looping her leg around in order to move it before it was removed by his huge boots.  
  
This was turning out to be a power struggle, shifting on regular beats from one to the other and it looked pretty, well... FUBAR.   
  
Trying a maneuver he picked up back in his days as a male ballroom escort, or wherever he learned to dance, Dante attempted a quick llevada, lifting her leg onto his in order to keep control as well as look pretty slick. A turn and brake, perhaps they weren't such bad dancers after all. Of course, maybe it was just him, but he seemed less and less interested in a power struggle for the lead, and actually attempted to just dance. His movements beginning to react a bit to hers, his transitions for her seemed to get quite fluid for a man who supposedly couldn't dance worth shit.   
  
Noting that the subsequent power struggle was more or less over, Isabella decided to work with her partner as well. Instead of looking like a pair of hemorrhaging fools, they were actually starting to pick up a sensible rhythm. And while Dante was the leader, one hand placed atop his shoulder, she moved into a languid molinete, slinking in an apathetic circle around him before finding herself back face to face with her partner -- unfortunately for the tango scene, she had broken what was an actual smile. It seemed his favor rating had just taken a jump, and by now, she was actually letting him lead.   
  
"I'm impressed..."   
  
A few more times around the floor and it was obvious the end of the music was afoot. Turning her around for another dip, and moving into seemingly some sort of corkscrew move, which somehow the novice dancers pulled off... well ... partially. As they spun, Dante's boot landed partially on her dress. Removing it as quickly as possible, it left him beyond saving. Of course, pulling her down with him, they fell together with the momentum of the spin from before, landing in an almost graceful, half-sitting, half-ass of pocket position, their 'move' finishing at the last beat of the song. How else better to hide a fall which was no one's fault but your own, then pretend it was on purpose? ... Striking a slight pose, and his eyes on his partner... he wasn't expecting anything less than a slap in the face.   
  
Ended up on the floor as it may, no major bruises or injury to either body or pride, Isabella was left with her hands on her dress beside her companion, sharing in mutual embarrassment in front of all of the other dancers still left on their feet, but there would be no slapping at this juncture -- not yet anyway.   
  
Rising carefully over the folds of her dress and smoothing them out over her legs, Isabella reached out and grasped for Dante's hands get to her feet. He certainly took his time getting up, brushing off, and getting settled before he even thought about offering his hand out to help her out. His right leg moving back as he leaned over to her, it was almost as if he was making a formal bow to her. The audience was most likely quite amused; Dante's complete lack of etiquette was quite apparent but he surprisingly didn't lack chivalry, in whatever twisted sense of the word it was. He thought he'd perhaps let her take the lead, let his testosterone settle down for now, after all, she looked like perhaps she had some people to meet, and he was here to help her, not just himself.   
  
"Sorry about that babe." An apology? Most likely quite unnecessary for her however it showed his kindness ... that, and the charming smile he managed to put on his face as opposed to the usual shit eating grin.   
  
The next song was already starting, but Isabella felt maybe it was best for them to sit the next one out for now, and solemnly made her way towards the refreshment stand, shrinking from view of the others.   
  
A few rustles in the background, perhaps from just outside the room were heard, at least by Dante. His eyes immediately shifted focus to the door, expecting some sort of creature to burst though; a few moments passed without such a thing happening, still it reminded him of what they were really there for.   
  
"Didja hear that?"  
  
Sounds didn't go unnoticed by Isabella, but they were left as she was here not to deal with some sort of creature, but to deal with satiating her taste for the dance. Isabella didn't bother saying anything in return as she avoided the prying eyes of the others around her and made herself comfortable nearby the refreshment stand - a thin champagne glass half filled with a fragrant red wine, swirled and aired out in its glass as delicate fingertips grasped the container.   
  
She flickered her attention around the gathered faces -- they were all familiar, but something was a little strange. No matter, as soon as this rather boring waltz was over, she'd drag her partner out on to the floor again and then check for what was wrong while looking completely ... "normal". That was somewhat hard to pull off when her date was wearing a sludge-dulled maroon trench coat, big heavy boots and looked like he could have been stoner. The prices she had to pay ...   
  
It seemed like Dante had just gotten settled when his hand was grabbed once again, dragged towards the floor. He didn't know how much of this he could take, his feet were already killing him, but that's what happens when you outfit is more for the stylish than functionality. As the next dance started, he leaned his head over her shoulder; luckily it was a slow dance... close dancing while swinging your hips around doesn't exactly work all that well.   
  
"Isa.. did ya hear that?" With no context to the question repeated, one could easily misread that into something that one of the other attendants had said or the like. "Don't you think we ought to check this out? Especially if these people are in danger... But for some reason... I've got a feeling you know a lot more than you're telling me..." Of course, referring to the fact she never told him he'd be dancing on the job, but for good reason. His hand pressed into her back a bit as he turned her for a slow spin, coat waving like a bullfighter's cape (not such a bad analogy when referring to Isabella).   
  
"Hear what?" Isabella questioned innocently as she pirouetted out and away, only to come back to her partner while shooting glances from side to side in search of the source of sound she had heard earlier. Coming back to rest herself against her partner, something seemed to catch her attention towards the door, before shifting her eyes up towards the pair hidden below the plaster fangs of white hair above her.  
  
"There are at least two dozen other people here, care to be a little more specific?"  
  
Dante twisted of his neck in some odd sense of dancing he liked to practice, however it did put his mouth near her ear once again,  
  
"Outside... from outside the door ... I could have sworn I heard something... something really... large... but muffled." He whispered, and began dancing towards the door, still quite within the acceptable range of the dance floor, but it was obvious what he was implying, "I'd almost say it was from outside... but whatever'd make that sort of noise would have to be a lot larger than anything I've ever seen before."  
  
"Ah," there was a stammer in both words and steps as soon as it all became too clear to her. Isabella grasped the red cloth of her partner's coat as she attempted to steady him and draw him away from it for now. There was no point in disrupting whatever amusement the others were having, and it would seriously blow whatever cover they had.  
  
"Forget it for now ... It would be too obvious something was up if we were to leave all of a sudden... I'm sure if it's that big, it'll be around afterwards.."   
  
A chuckle sounded from the taller of the two, as he made a graceful toss of her towards the center of the floor. Regaining her in the center, he put his face close to her ear once again.  
  
"No worries." His head didn't pull away this time, instead he continued to dance, holding her in such a soft manner for a man who handles a sword by thrashing it around. His feet brought them around in a odd pattern, perhaps he'd stopped concentrating on the element of dance all together, and was just, enjoying himself. Something he hadn't done in about the same time he'd changed that outfit of his.   
  
Full plum lips upturned and cracked a generous smile in response to the way things were going. It had been a long time since she had actually a partner that wasn't intimidated by her, or at least didn't show it. Maybe over four centuries of time since she'd ever found a person that was comfortable in every way around her. True, she was pushy, overbearing and violent - that much was a given, but it didn't mean she didn't have the feminine quality of serenity that made her what she was. Forget the meticulous stepping patterns in proper, rigid dance. To let go and feel free was a luxury people like her had a hard time getting a hold of.  
  
"Glad you see it that way."   
  
As this song neared an end, Dante made a few pushes and pulls spins, anything to give them a little flash. It was tiring, but nonetheless amusing to him. The last beat of the song signaled their last move, his forehead pressed against hers once again, soft eyes attempting to gain access into hers. Staying there for any clapping that may have followed, he didn't move his face from hers. His lips were parted slightly to allow heavy breathing through his mouth, his eyes drooped slightly, but he didn't pull away, not so soon.   
  
The last fluttering edge of the dangerous woman's red dress came into a soft, feather contact with the floor. Brilliant green, non-reflective eyes face to face with the silken blues before them; the black voids adjusting slightly to the image, widening. She wasn't too tired, really - arms looped languidly over the broad, red clad shoulders of one Demon Hunter, Dante. What woman wouldn't give to be in this position now - to feel the warmth of his breath against their skin and the comfort of his embrace, even if it was for the show?  
  
But even that wasn't enough to shatter the ice that had built up around the so-called heart of this woman, for instead of taking the chances to kiss the handsome face before her that any normal woman would have, she merely smiled, satisfied with the fact that they had received applause from some of the best dances in her homeland. She was proud. Proud of both of them.   
  
Slowly, Dante's forehead was removed from hers. His face hadn't had a smile on it since the end, and he wasn't about to put on a happy face for her, it wasn't exactly happiness he was feeling at the moment. His one arm remained around her lower back, though barely touching her hip, as if it were just for the look now. A slight nod of his head diagonally downwards was the only sort of bow he'd offer back to the crowd. His hand left her hip and tapped her back softly, encouraging her to show even a bit more. Standing straight up, and only looking in her direction, no words whatsoever, his night was left to her discretion despite the slight feeling of removal from her feelings there for a minute.   
  
A graceful curtsey was delivered to those standing around them, eyes closing after Dante had left her personal space to itself. Her brows were furrowed oddly in an expression somewhere between concern and wonderment as she stood back up again, and yet still that brilliant smile was on her features, even as she took her partner's hands and led him towards the refreshments stand again, eyeing the door. She seemed to be all about business, and not at the same time tonight. Dante's expression, or lack thereof, didn't even seem to click with her at the moment.  
  
"Now ... about what could be out there...?"   
  
His mind was clouded with thoughts of what he was doing here, what she was thinking... it all seemed to odd for him. Of course, he was used to getting any woman he wanted.. when he was actually interested in one, that is. He took up a glass and bypassing the whole punch spoon deal, plunged it into whatever non-alcoholic drink they had at the time, perhaps it was punch, it didn't matter, if it was wet, he'd take it. Gulping it down in within the second, he wiped his mouth clear with his sleeve, bringing his face closer to hers,   
  
"Well I don't know what it is... you know what's here better than I do... but I think we should probably check it out. After all, we are here for a reason... even if I don't know what exactly it is, I'm guessing it wasn't dancing with me." His tone of voice indicated something betwixt a slight annoyance, and true concern. It wasn't that he didn't like her, quite the opposite, lets just say, he didn't quite know how to deal with women -- especially ones so off the beaten path, like Isa.   
  
" Well," taking his tone into stride as some sort of personality trait, Isabella whispered thoughtfully as she ran a delicate fingertip over the rim of her glass and peered over her partner's shoulder towards the other faces in the crowd. She definitely felt like someone far too familiar for her tastes was here, and it made her uneasy.  
  
"Wait here for a moment, I'm going to mingle in the crowd -- see if there's anything out of the ordinary." Without even waiting for a response from Dante, Isabella had set her cup down on the refreshment stand and rested a hand on his shoulder, letting it linger to a fingertip, and the nothing at all as she passed him by and slipped passed the others present. Another song was playing - something faster, though certainly not like the tracks played at the Club. It sounded like a Salsa.  
  
Not moving for a moment as he took in all that happened, eyes staring forwards, Dante came to a realization -- god she was a cold one. Finally, he turned his head towards her after she had passed, soon followed his torso, and then his legs a bit later, timing themselves just as the music came on. This music was never in his club. Indeed, of course, how often were waltzes played in his club either? A hand reached up and pushed his hair back, though it fell off to the sides and down in front of his left eye the second he released it. He began to slowly walk into the dance floor. Quite conservatively at first, but with each step his feet became more and more entwined with the music.   
  
He wondered how those others could possibly know anything; they looked just as clueless as any nobility. Perhaps he could break her away from those others, bring her back to him, with either the enticement of a dance, or even with a bit of jealousy... Then they could get back to business. He wasn't exactly dancing by himself, instead just moving his hips ever so slightly to the beat. His head was tilted downward slightly, allowing him to look upwards at all the various females at the dance. Not interested at all, as a keen eye might be able to pick up, never the less, his hand, while down at his side, signaled any one of them to come over if they wanted, yet his eyes strayed, landing once again on his partner and date, and staying there. Not like his interest in Isabella would deter any of the women there, most likely.  
  
Isabella, on the other hand, was busily greeting each and every one of the sitting guests. From any distance, someone who knew her well enough was able to tell that those melodious, lovely laughs were falsified, and that her gracious bows and fluently polite Portuguese speech was all some sort of show as she hurriedly moved on to the next pair sitting, all the while still peering about for anything suspicious. Some things were bothering her about a number of aspects she had come across at this time, but the real problem was finding out whether or not her 'sixth sense' was malfunctioning or not. In fact, it was as though she was looking around expectantly for someone to show themselves, even as she made a haphazard path back towards her companion, whom she had not seen dancing with the other women -- yet.  
  
Of course, a woman decided to join, most likely against the wishes of her date. Dante bowed slightly and took her hand, beginning a relatively advanced dance routine, one the girl obviously could not keep up with, yet somehow, they managed to look semi-decent. All the while, Dante's concentration remained on Isabella, as did his eyes ninety percent of the time. Slowing making his way towards her, he caught something quite out of the ordinary. Someone who wasn't there before, sure he could have just come in late, but he was looking towards Isabella. With Dante's concentration on the other man, he couldn't see what Isa was looking at, namely if she was looking at him or not. Something seemed fishy. With a quick spin, he released his current dance partner's hand, and with a slight push, sent her across the floor, eventually stumbling to her rear; and he started making his way to intercept either of the two; the new stranger, or _his_ Isabella.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes** Taking a while again, I know :P But things have slowed down all around for us. We're starting to fall behind on chapter creation, too.. so there may be longer waits between chapters again. ^^; I thought last time it would be good to catch up on lost time adding two new chapters at once, but it proved to only put us in a bit of a spot. Though I'd like to take the time now to announce that the next 'fic slated for release is a ** Phantasy Star Online** one .. and then after that, if the feedback turns out extremely well for _ Luce ed Ombra_ a sequel! So if you want to see more, please help us with our feedback. ^^; 


	13. Flash in the Night

_His eyes upon your face  
His hand upon your hand  
His lips caress your skin  
It's more than I can stand  
Why does my heart cry  
Feelings I can't fight  
You're free to leave me  
But just don't deceive me  
And please  
Believe me when I say  
I love you  
~El Tango de Roxanne, Moulin Rouge _   
  
  


** Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Twelve  
  
_Flash in the Night_  
[By Ultema and Guo]   
  
  


Using the distraction of the red clad man on the dance floor, a man quite similar in appearance to him was approaching Isabella. If the other weren't in the room, one might actually mistake the two of them. Isabella most likely hadn't noticed him, nor anyone else for that matter, as if he just suddenly appeared. Each time Dante had gotten rid of a woman coming up to him, he was stopped in yet another way, a man complimenting him, a woman asking him to dance, however through all of the distractions he had now seen the other man.   
  
Glancing over to Isabella, he seemed to want something of her, one way or another, and yet, he was also hurrying, perhaps to not have to deal with the other of the two. In a way, he blended in with the rest of the crowd, but in another stood out amongst them like a black whale in a snowfield. No one thought otherwise, however as he approached swiftly through the crowd. The soft textures of the black overcoat moved silently against the similar texture of matching pants, and his footwear was the only thing to make sound, though dulled by the din of noise around them. The cream colored ascot, bunched just below his chin, could have nearly blended in with his flesh.  
  
Turning slightly on her heels, Isabella caught a glimpse of this phantom doppelganger. Both brows rose upwards quickly as she glanced around the vicinity for her partner, who was caught up in the crowd. Her eyes shifted swiftly from side to side before resting on the figure moving through the throng of bodies, heading straight for her.   
  
"Vergil ..."   
  
"I know what you're doing." The man reached out and grabbed Isabella's arm. This action was usually considered heresy and would result in death, in fact, it might still spell death for him.  
  
"You know you can't take that, it has a lot more importance to us than it does to you... even if it is your life." A strong statement, it was hard to believe that they ever didn't hate each other. Their history went back a lot further than perhaps it seemed at first. Not just a fling a few years ago. Vergil slowly dragged his captive over towards the other part of the room, once again moving her away from Dante, to whom it seemed like the other people, at least a few of them, were following untold orders to keep him away. Vergil merely glared at her, his next sentence was sure to be a threat of some kind, but in his eyes, one could see his reluctance.   
  
Isabella could only stare in disbelief as she was dragged along, bodies dispersing back into their path as though made purposely to create an ever shifting human maze, just to keep Dante out of reach. As they came to a stop, She caught his glare, but even in the eyes that reflected no light, she could see into them - two blue pools.   
  
" Vergil, you don't understand -- You know me better than anyone. What would your father say?"  
  
"Yes, I know you better than anyone.." A monotone chuckle came from Vergil, he seemed slightly amused, but became much more serious, "... sometimes I regret that, Isa." It wasn't that he didn't like her, but his life wasn't exactly made easier by hers. He was here for only one reason:  
  
Her.   
  
_******* He back turned from his mother, a young boy not older than 5 was having a huffy fit; angry at his mother for apparently favoring his brother. Of course it wasn't true, but everyone knew how kids got. Storming off without looking back, the young boy sat down in between a couch and a radiator, his small little hiding spot where he could go. Sitting there, hand pulling hard on his silver colored hair, he couldn't help but be angry. Meanwhile, his mother only chuckled to herself, she'd go and apologize, getting her soon to be sadden child. The brother, however, looked concerned, he cared for his brother, as much as a little child could understand so. After hearing the argument from the other room he came out to find his brother, looking for him in all of the many spots he liked to go. But before finding him, an earth shattering noise was heard, with a feeling of an earthquake, originating right outside of their house.   
  
The clouds swirled; the sun engulfed by the fervor of black and gray, devoured in the abyss that formed in what was once the cerulean blue sky. The skies ripped asunder by a fearsome bolt of red, jagged and sharp that came screaming from the void. Where it struck, the earth trembled, roared and split - fissures developed along the grassy green, and all greenery in its path died as the fissure widened along the ground. Barren earth soon took the place of the grasses - a solemn thud resounded as from above descended wings that blocked out what little light was left. Heavy clawed feet, attached to legs like the trunks of trees connected with the dirt - a billow of dust and ash, two great wings spread, a shrill call from numerous sets of sharp hawk's beaks all connected at the same point to form a single head. Brilliant lenses of crimson flickering left and right as sable feathered wings spread, pumped the air until it turned blistering hot and condensed creating pulsing orbs of magenta that ripped through the very foundation of the building ahead of this monstrous beast.  
  
From the darkness that those great wings had caused, rose a pair of brilliant blue eyes. A feline's body formed from the blackness that enveloped it, and as though a flower in bloom, appeared, pale fleshed and gore-horn laden the upper body of a woman attached at the creature's chest. Massive, she stood, towering feet above the door itself. One great, clawed hand reached back, plunged forward, and took the door down. Impassiveness rampant in her expression, to the family that rest inside, inexplicable horrors rampaged through their minds.   
  
The horror in all of the family members was apparent. The young boy searching for his brother had made his way into the attic, and with the breaking of the door down, the building shook, knocking crates of old things over onto the boy. Stuck underneath, unable to move, he could only listen in horror to what was going on below him. His mother screamed as the beast had come through the door, though it was only out of surprise... she knew what the beast wanted, who had sent her. Slowly backing off, she shook her head. She wouldn't give in and give away the only thing to remind her of her husband, something which wasn't to be given over to evil.  
  
The young boy was hiding just a room away, he ran out to the room where his mother was, fear in his eyes. He wasn't quite sure what was happening, but for some reason, he wasn't afraid.   
  
The half woman, half feline that had entered paused, the mother's indignant refusal to hand over what was desired elicited a sneer from the much larger beast. The beast opened her mouth wide, **'Give them over to me NOW ' **she demanded; gleaming, dagger-like canines bared as she rushed the other woman, grasping her by her throat and lifting the mother off her feet into the air.   
  
The blonde woman protested once more, her hands winding around the pale, steely wrists of the creature that held her off the ground. With a sharp twist of powerful, pale shoulders, the frail woman's back was slammed up against the wall. No attention permitted to escape towards the child standing wide-eyed at the scene before him.  
  
**'Now, or DIE!'** the creature commanded again, her grip visibly tightening around the blonde woman's throat as she gurgled a resistant response once more, and turned her eyes towards her young son. Tears welled in those eyes, rolling down a porcelain cheek and onto the dead, grayish flesh of her captor.  
  
Having had more than enough of this nonsense, the half woman plucked the mother from the wall and held her at arm's length. Her own, wicked blue eyes skipped from the child she now knew was present, and bore deep into the soft eyes of the blonde woman, whose paling, trembling lips uttered the lowest of curses to the beast.   
  
Free hand reared back, long, thin, sharp claws slid forth from their restraints in the beast's hand, and where slowly driven into the soft flesh of the young mother's stomach. A shriek, agonizing pain welling up in an anguished flush as the creature gave a sharp turn to her wrist, twisting the blades inside of the woman like a blender, and the next thing was the lifeless, wet thud on the floor where a pool of red stained the carpet below. **' Useless, stupid woman...' **the creature muttered, eyeing the fallen body before shifting her gaze to the child that had just witnessed his own mother's death. A maniacal grin spread over her pale features.   
  
The boy was the next most useful thing to the woman, who was now of no use to anybody. He didn't know anything either... but that wasn't to be his purpose. His eyes grew wide, but he didn't shed a tear, he was too horrified, too confused. Standing there motionless, staring at the floor, soaked in the blood of his mother, and then shifting his gaze to the person who had committed the deed. But what could he do?   
  
He stepped forwards towards the beast, which had turned and was staring directly at him. He didn't know what he could do, but he had to try something. The young boy pulled his hand back and swung at the creature's front kneecap. Hot tears flowed from the boy's eyes; he was just barely beginning to realize what had happened. The only thing he wanted more than to be held by his mother now, was to be with his brother -- the only other family he had.  
  
The boy upstairs in the meantime had regained consciousness after being bombarded with various boxes and items, including an amulet of his mother's. She hadn't worn it in years, and he didn't exactly understand what it was, but for some reason, he thought she'd need it now. It took a moment or two for him to get free, and immediately began running down the stairs to see what had happened.   
  
The first instinct of the beast would have been to kill the boy, too -- but instead, she paused after having been kicked. Orders were orders, and she had hers. Backpedaling all four feet from the child, she stopped again -- the blackness of her feline body swirled, dispersed into a thick violet mist that engulfed her entire form. It wasn't long before the mist cleared, and a dark haired young woman stood in its place.   
  
Vivid, bright mocha skin, full cinnamon lips, beautiful green eyes, a serene smile formed over the voluptuous curvature of her lips. All dressed in a stainless white and sky blue - so pure, so radiant. She approached the horror-struck child, bent down and rested on the tips of her bare toes. A slender hand reached out, cupping the boy's cheek in her hand as her thumb brushed away the warm, salty liquid from his face.  
  
**'It's all right,'** she whispered, extending the other hand out as though to shield him from the darkness that had fallen over the previously comfortable, loving home.   
  
The boy didn't know what was going on, he stared confusingly at first, and still angry ran into the arms of the woman, pounding his hands down on her shoulders, crying to no end in her breast. He didn't understand, he was just sad just confused,, and this woman was providing the love he needed. Clinging to the previously much larger and beastlier woman, head off to the side, he noticed his brother arrive.   
  
The other's eyes filled with tears, he understood, looking over to the others. He didn't know the details, but he knew who was responsible -- and it wasn't either of the two over there, but something that his father was connected to. He held himself close to his mother's blood-ridden body. Looking up towards his brother and the woman, though his eyes only saw his brother. He wondered what happened... he didn't question his brother's intentions or doings.  
  
The other boy removed himself from the woman, looking towards his brother, holding the amulet near his mother in anger. Why wasn't he there to help him and mother? Why was he being so selfish? Why isn't he over here with me now? Questions filled the boy's head, and it only served to help the woman. She merely gave him a look, it was all too easy to make the boy serve her now. He ran over to his brother and tackled him, grabbing the amulet from his hands, yet the other end was still being held onto. A struggle between the two children and a tug of war upon the amulet ensued. Anger was now in both of the brothers. Neither truly knowing what they were fighting over.  
  
As the struggle ensued, the light-clad woman rose to stand fully upon her bare feet, and stepped lightly over the fallen body of the blonde-haired mother. She stared into the area between them both - towards the amulet. She moved to grab it to break up the scuffle and be on with things, when the hands of the one whom had taken to her slipped from the metal surface. The trinket fled from both their grasps and dropped down between them to the floor below.   
  
With a sharp crack, the glittery amulet fell into two pieces on the cold, bloodstained ground below. The woman picked up one of the pieces, as did the brother who had suddenly appeared moments earlier. The boy who had witnessed the atrocity, still confused and upset, reached out towards his sibling, grasping the precious item with both hands to ensue in another struggle. Soon enough, though, the weeping boy plucked the piece from his brother's hands.  
  
That was good enough for the woman. Casting a gaze back towards the other boy, the one left with neither brother, mother nor trinket, her expression showing neither happiness nor sorrow, but compassion, she plucked up his sibling and held him tight to her tear-dampened clothing. Turning her gaze away, she strode out the door, child in hand - she walked on shadows, her own being not obscured by the darkness as she approached the great bird waiting outside for them.  
  
**'Is it done?'**The massive avian queried, an eye turning towards the child in his companion's arms before turning his red gaze upon the woman herself.  
  
**'It is done.'**she replied, peering down at the boy. She should have killed the other boy while she had the chance, she thought - but even she was unlike the great bird before her.  
  
The avian nodded in response, and with a single flap of his wings took to the air again, vanishing in the swirling void of gray clouds above. The woman took a glance towards the ransacked house, and then proceeded forward towards the darkness as the fissures closed, and the sky became bright again. *******  
  
_ His eyes shimmered, the lights from the chandelier reflecting off of the liquid, which had accumulated in his eyes. Held in, of course, Vergil showed nothing more than a scornful look towards Isabella; he had only recently found out the truth about his past, but what could he do about it. His life was much different now.  
  
"But ... what would my father say if he knew you killed my mother?" One last attack, perhaps the only time he had really mentioned it right out to her. His eyes glanced over to his brother, just now finally getting through the crowd, controlled in part by him. Turning to the side, his eyes remained fixed on her even as he began to walk away. One hand held the other half of the amulet close to his chest while his other raised a finger to her like a mother would say no to a child. Ironically, it would have been quite normal had the roles been reversed.  
  
"Stay ... away from it..." he hissed, and moved deep into the crowd.  
  
Stumbling as his foot was caught by one of the patrons of the dance "by accident", Dante glared in the direction of the man whom had been talking to his date had disappeared. Half out of jealously, and half because for some odd reason he felt a bit of resentment towards whoever it was. He hadn't seen the face, only the hair.  
  
Glancing back to Isabella, "Having a .. good time?" Odd.. one would think he'd go for the more direct approach, but it was quite obvious what he meant. His vision wandered back to where the man should have been by now, but instead, no sign of him at all. A slightly puzzled look on his face remained, however despite this confusion, he refocused his attention on Isabella. Leaning all of his weight onto his right arm, stabilizing himself on the table, his leg lifted to rest on it as well, grinning at her, as if expecting a lame excuse for talking to another man.   
  
" Dante ..." Isabella murmured, her attention focused in the direction that the other man had left. Her mouth left open, head turned slowly back towards her date for the evening, though her eyes stayed glued in the other direction until she finally managed to pull herself from whatever trance she was in. Stammering for a moment as her composure was regained, she shook her head gently, lacing her fingers before her.  
  
"I, uh, actually ... "   
  
Dante's right eyebrow was twice as high as the other when he just decided to treat it like nothing, though it almost seemed like an old boyfriend was just mesmerizing her before. He moved himself closer to her, a slight nudge into her hip, it was time to put on the old Dante charisma,   
  
"You alright there...?" His smirk changed into an empathetic smile, for no apparent reason. A hand found it's way to the small of her back while the other was used as a nice leaning post as he leaned back a bit. A nod in the direction of the refreshments and the door, "Maybe you'd like.." He trailed off as to wait for her response, his question ready to be molded to suit her mood.   
  
"I'm fine ... Yes, let's get something to drink." Isabella's response was choppy and abrupt, nodding in response to Dante as she turned around to face him, making sure as to not lose eye contact as she slipped through the bit of crowd piled up at the refreshments. Although there was a smile attached to her lips, there was an air of dishonesty in the expression, however slight.   
  
The bright cherry material of her dress moved with her steps as she weaved through the crowd half sideways, beckoning her companion on through it. Bodies moved, sort of glided by without her recognition. She was to busy thinking about things now, from her personal mission, to the people and creatures she had come to know over her extended stay in the world of the living, and now her partner and friend. But this had to be saved for another time. This was not the time for thinking of such things.  
  
"How about you ... are you enjoying yourself?"   
  
Though he followed, Dante was barely able to keep up with her maneuvering. He eventually made his way to the drinks, eyeing her from just enough of a distance to avoid being slapped. Well, that was the theory anyways, in a moment or two he realized she could stab him from across the room, so, what was a little slap,   
  
"Ya drag me here and force me to dance with an ol ... er, with a novice.. then ditch me.. all fine, babe." He was actually quite far from being sarcastic, he was bothered, of course, but he didn't know what happened, all he knew was she looked distraught. His arm held around her shoulders, pulling her near him, "I think you've had enough for tonight, don't you think?" His hand taking the punch from her hands only to drink it down himself.. "Still, you sure know how to flatter.. and confuse a guy.. I give you credit."   
  
He slipped himself out of his trench coat, revealing a clinging thin black turtle neck, and draping the coat over a nearby chair with a quick toss -- how elegant. Knuckles were cracked, and a stretch or two ensued, it felt quite good to be out of that restricting jacket. His outfit may have been reminiscent of a 70s dancer, but it wasn't going to stop him from getting his groove on and making Isabella forget all about that other man.   
  
"Look, I'm really sorry about that," Isabella started, before witnessing this sudden turn of events, and while she had no punch to sip on, her hands fell to her hips. Her hips cocked in accord with her head, and a brow rose upwards before offering a half-assed smile in response to Dante's actions. How convenient, she thought -- this whole scenario felt like something straight out of the disco age, music and all. Well, why not get into it? It wasn't before too long that she had stepped to her partner and date flashing the longer half of her dress over her leg in order to keep it from tripping either of them up; both slender legs exposed to the thigh, eyes locked on her companion's.   
  
A stance taken in his ridiculous looking outfit for a ball, his eyes never moved from her, either. As soon as the music, which must have been mistaken for the most popular of America, started, Dante began to shake his rear. In stomach churning display of finger points and spins was all but upon them. Surprisingly, and unfortunately it seemed as though the other attendants began to join in. Dante's hand reached out to take Isabella's. His eyes stayed locked into hers, he could already sense her previous problems being forgotten at the sight of this new challenge of his. And why not... forgetting one's worries, no matter how important, for just a short while is quite therapeutic.. after all, "Don't worry, just smile!" he grinned, hands flaring in the air.   
  
Isabella couldn't help but laugh at this, grasping Dante's hands. It took her a while to get that particular rhythm down, since the Disco era wasn't exactly her favorite, but nonetheless in no time had she been able to pick up on his moves, modify them, and make them into her own all the same. Out of sight, out of mind was the current name of the game concerning problems, and that solemn smile had become quite genuine, especially now that the whole room was more or less making fools of themselves equally, so there was no problem with it.   
  
He could only offer a grin of approval, she had surpassed all of his expectations.. her dancing skills had seemed to be limited only to the classics at first. A spin in the direction of the center of the dance floor, and she was tossed in front of everyone. Rushing in from the side he jumped and landed in a split. If one listened closely, they could have heard a slight splitting sound, but the music and people were loud enough to drown anything so trivial as that out. A seam rip in pleather pants was generally a large concern, but showing off to the crowd was much more important at the moment. A twirl of himself and subsequently his partner the rest of the attendants were actually cheering them on, secluding them to a circle. A lift from the floor, a pull through the legs, they were a hit.. although it wasn't long before the song was nearing completion, as was their dance.   
  
As though on cue, the sound of a large clock bell striking the same moment the last beat of the song ended with the two of them dead center of the circle in a thunderous hail of applause. One hand lifted into the air, the other around her partner's shoulder, hoisted up on the toes of her finely polished stiletto heels. Beads of glistening liquid rolled down off her forehead and into her plum smile, bright eyes locked on those of her dancing partner, and what felt like best friend now.   
  
Her shoulders heaved with each breath drawn, only to hold that pose for a few moments more of applause, and then let her other arm fall to his opposite shoulder. Chin declining to chest as she regained her composure, this was a night to remember.   
  
It took a while, but the sweaty Dante had finally acknowledged the other people around. The rest of the time, he had merely been staring directly at Isabella, she was unlike anything he had really encountered before, but perhaps that was just because of the mysterious plans and rapid mood changes. He let his head fall to her shoulder for just a moment, it was tiring. Slowly they made their way back to their seats, it seemed as though the ball was ending. Surprisingly, Dante had made it through, and actually enjoyed himself. Slumping in his chair, it seemed as though the person who had gotten this whole thing together, King, or whoever, was apparently making some sort of toast... to Isabella nonetheless, though he was too preoccupied with resting to really pay attention. He merely smirked in the general direction of the speaker as his eyes wandered the room, settling on his companion just beside him.   
  
"Agradecimentos! Comemore meu sócio!" A breathless Isabella called out, grasping a nearby cup and filling it with punch and holding it up towards the gracious host, then turned her attention towards Dante with a full smile. With her opposite hand, she picked the next glass and filled it, handing it to him, and offering her own glass out to him, toasting obviously to him as well. Even as she took a drink, she didn't allow her vision to escape the cool hues of his.   
  
Once again, a bit behind all of the action, it took a glass shoved in his face to get him to react -- Dante had been staring in the place Isa was even after she had gotten up. He took the drink and finishing it off in a quick gulp, just what he needed. When the next glass was held out in his general direction, and since he couldn't understand Spanish, or Portuguese ... or whatever, he immediately assumed it was another for him, and snatched it following her own sip, and drank the rest before realizing it was another toast... this time, to him. He was even blushing, though it wasn't like you could tell, his whole head had been a bit red since the dance. A smirk towards his date, and a nod towards the others, and he just sat himself back down, a haphazard smile across his lips.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes** Yes, Sequel will be planned. ^^;; Uh, this is an odd chapter, I know. It's really important though, but I'm afraid I can't explain any of the stuff here just yet, because we need a reason to plug the 'fic's site when we release it ;D ... Just taking it slower as the semester winds down, and all this work slowly comes to a close. Please hang in there, everyone. ^^ 


	14. Wit Down

_I don't feel a thing  
and I stopped remembering  
The days are just like moments turned to hours  
  
Mother Used to say  
if you want, you'll find a way  
Bet mother never danced through fire shower  
  
I don't hear a sound  
Silent faces in the ground  
The quiet screams, but I refuse to listen  
  
If there is a hell  
I'm sure this is how it smells  
Wish this were a dream, but no, it isn't  
  
Walk in the rain, in the rain, in the rain  
I walk in the rain, in the rain  
Am I right or am I wrong  
and is it here that I belong?  
~Rain, Cowboy Bebop  
  
_  
  


**Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
_Wit Down_  
[By Ultema and Guo]  
  
  


The night pressed on, the hallways silencing again as the people from the dance said their goodbyes and filed out back to their rooms, chattering away until the sound was a mere dim drone in the background of things. It seemed as though the thunderclaps of the rainstorm outside had already begun getting much louder. The white ribbons that flashed and crawled across the sky lit the candle-laden hallway back to their shared room, the rain pattered against the stone and newly installed glass windows.  
  
Isabella held tightly to the arm of her date, still having long since forgotten her troubles, at least for the time being. Instead the two of them shared mutual laughs and chortles as they continued down the hall.   
  
"Thank you. " Breaking the silence that had found its way into their musing, she uttered graciously towards her partner.  
  
His eyes had been elsewhere when the words were offered to him, but soon pulled themselves back to her, a slight bewildered look in his eyes.   
  
"What for babe? I haven't done anything yet." So what if it sounded like a bad pickup line, he was being humble. Flicking his coat around his shoulder as he stopped walking and shifted all of his weight onto one foot, posing with his head down, eyes looking up to Isabella with a sly grin on his face. He was already about to get back to walking, there was no point in dragging anything out too long, after all, sleep could very well be waiting for him back at the room -- something he hadn't gotten much of recently.   
  
She paused only momentarily when he did, and kept walking as he put his coat on, still heading towards the door that lay ahead. Outwardly the path was clear, devoid of anything vicious or imposing, but she could feel the eyes of the unwelcome boring on them, and tried to ignore it.  
  
"For just being." As cryptic as it was, it was indeed what Isabella had meant to say, though the thought of what he would say, and how he would act if the full truth was known, was something that worried her. Not that it mattered at all, really... the end result would still be the same when it all came down to it, but now instead of worrying about that, she had grown fond of his quirky attitude and outgoing demeanor. A surprise, really, considering the whole basis of their relationship revolved around their respective natures.   
  
Soon back inside of their room, Dante had removed all unnecessary items from his being. Boots, socks, vests, tossed over to the side. He was going to shower, he was far too sweaty from his escapade, to stand.   
  
"I'll be out in just a sec…" He smirked, a towel grabbed, and into the bathroom he went. Various articles of clothing flew out of the room towards the pile he had just made previously. It was only a few minutes before he emerged, underwear, t-shirt, hell, he didn't need anymore, and he was too tired to care. Pausing beside Isa, he smiled somewhat lopsidedly. "You're a lot more fun than I originally gave you credit for." A slight awkward moment ensued, but was broken quickly with a soft, yet quick peck to her cheek.   
  
For some reason, it just felt wrong kissing her... even though that was only kissing by the loosest sense of the word. He couldn't quite figure it out, nor did he care at the moment. She mattered, but right now, sleep was in control. He made his way to the couch and stumbled onto the cushions by way of rolling over the back. "I'll be right here if you need me..."   
  
Isabella nodded in compliance with her partner, and once he took his place to the loveseat couch, she had grasped the top cover from the single bed and placed it over Dante, before leaning down and brushing the platinum from his forehead and placing a feathery kiss of her own upon it as a mother would to their child before they went to sleep.  
  
"Sleep well ... you will need it ..." Isabella whispered, standing back to her full height and moving towards the drawers in which the three large suitcases had been emptied into. Waving a hand nonchalantly, the candles blown out as her fingertips passed them, she removed two new articles of clothing from the mahogany dresser, red tango dress soon discarded and left on the top of the it. Her new, much less formal attire donned, she stepped out into the hallway, careful to not stir her partner. A breath of fresh air was what she needed to clear her head, and to rearrange her now discombobulated thoughts.  
  
Looking left and right, the woman paused at the nearest window. Lifting the glass pane upwards, she stuck one leg out, followed by one side of her body, her head, and then the opposite side, and closed the window again. The rain was warm, and coming down hard, the thunder was much louder out here than it was inside, as well. Upon her shoulders, both eye tattoos gave off a faint cerulean sheen as a hand cupped over her brows, peering into the night.   
  
But a moment or two after she had stepped outside of the window, the large avian known only as Griffon arrived. The sound of him landing was quite audible by any in the area, inside or outside. Dante, however, was already out cold by the time Isabella had left, random mumblings of the word 'baby', or what sounded like 'pliskin' coming from him.   
  
Multiple crimson eyes looked down upon the female climbing out of the window, as they were still higher than her, despite Griffon standing on the ground while she was on a rooftop.   
  
"Griffon," Isabella started, turning her head at the sound of his arrival not out of surprise, but half out of relief that it was to be him that came to her, and not Vergil. The rain battered at her skin, slicking her hair and clothing to her body as she stood, now facing the great avian fully, a mere fraction of a fraction of his size.  
  
"Do you really think this can work? ... You know what you did to these boys..." These weren't threatening sounding words, like those of Vergil's, instead, they were ones of wisdom.. "This doesn't mean give up ... this means, be mindful. The truth is all that can set either of you free, but it's what is holding both of you back." This was true as well, Dante, while he remembered nothing of the past, was subconsciously repressing feelings towards her. "But this isn't going to be easy for you two, we can't just let both of you through.. we have orders."   
  
"I realize you have your orders ... but I have my orders, too. They just don't come from the same source, yours and mine."  
  
The conversation was lacking in any hostility from either side, instead respect shown in simple word, hushed under the sound of the crashing thunder above. The streaks of lightning illuminating the both of them for mere moments before the darkness enveloped them again. Isabella paused, taking a glance down towards her boots, before squinting up again at the multi-headed bird.   
  
Griffon's heads lowered themselves slightly in unison. "I understand ... then let him sleep ... you'll be hearing from me again, I hope. Go to Cerberus, he has what you seek, but I will not help you in defeating him. We've known each other for a long time, Isabella... I hope I won't lose you." He lifted his enormous wings and paused for a moment, shaking his heads rapidly in order to remove the off excess rain before moving one of his heads close to her, his friend. Before long, and with only a stare towards her, Griffon's wings forced the air downward, lifting himself into the air, and flew away with only a soft sound emanating from his wings, quite surprising for such a huge creature.   
  
Surprisingly enough, as Griffon took off, Isabella remained standing still and silent as though the gust of wind that whipped her hair away from her face posed no problem to the whole of her body. She watched in silence as the great avian took off and rose into the air noiselessly, effortlessly. She had many friends, didn't she? Griffon being the longest, Vergil, and now Dante. But the truth, as the wise old bird had said -- the truth was what held the power to make and break everything she was subconsciously working for.  
  
As the avian vanished from view, Isabella turned on her heels and walked silently along the slick stone rooftop, staring over the side down to the ground below. There was no point in thinking too much more about this. She didn't really need it, but it would be a luxury for her to get some sleep -- it had been nearly sixty hours since the last time she had any.   
  
Moving back towards the window she crept out on, Isabella opened it again and slipped back inside, drenched from head to toe from the rain. Aside from the squeak of her boots against the stone, she quietly opened the door again and slipped into the room she shared with the hunter. Passing by his resting place, taking only a moment to glance at him as he slept peacefully (Aside from his occasional outburst), she smiled. A perch taken on the soft bed only a few feet away, her head turned towards the closed window that led to the elements outside, she attempted to drift and to dream; something that wasn't a common occurrence any more.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes** YES! Last day of finals, I'm free to work on this and other things for about 5 months now. The updates won't be so far between now, and work on the site will pick up muchly. We'll let you know when it's ready. And sorry for the short chapter, just a little something to tide over until we complete the next one. One more thing; at the end of this, does anyone want a preview of our next works coming up? Not all of them have to do with DMC, in fact we're shuffling around in categories quite a bit. Whatever your thoughts, please let us know! ^_^ 


	15. Inversion

_Kiss me, kiss my heart  
Kill me, kill me forever  
Kiss me, kiss my eyes  
Kill me, kill me your love!  
Itami wa itoshi  
Itami wa hakanai  
Itami wa yasashi  
Shinjitsu dai yo to  
Yoru rakana SOFA no ue  
Boku wa machi tsuzukeru  
  
Kiss me, kiss my leg  
Kill me, kill me forever  
Kiss me, kiss my lip  
Kill me, kill me, your gun!  
Kono yo wa nazou de  
Kono yo wa uso de  
Kono yo wa shozekin  
Awaremi dakedo  
Ai suru mono dake o  
Boku wa machi tsuzukeru  
  
PURE na shiyu no tame  
Hito wa ano ki desu  
Kushimi no naka  
Rashiku mo gaki  
  
(Kiss me, kiss my heart  
Kill me, kill me forever  
Kiss me, kiss my eyes  
Kill me, kill me your love!  
This pain I'm in, I love it  
This pain I'm in, ethereal  
This pain I'm in, wonderful  
This is, to me, like heaven  
Walking by myself in the night,  
Destined to travel forever  
  
Kiss me, kiss my leg  
Kill me, kill me forever  
Kiss me, kiss my lip  
Kill me, kill me, your gun!  
Afterlife is a mystery  
Before death is deceitful  
Between the two, I'm screaming  
Miserable, and yet, still  
Love is something I do not need,  
Destined to travel forever  
  
My soul is chained to this world  
But just until I can break free  
I have no need for mercy  
So slash me, bleed me, kill me)  
~Kiss me, Kill me –Farfello, Weiß Kreuz  
  
_   
  
  
  


**Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
_Inversion_  
[By Ultema and Guo]  
  
  


Several hours later, still pitch black outside, and Dante had no clue of anything that had happened... yet again. A few tosses and turns in bed, and something had disturbed his slumber. A snort followed by a shake or two of his head, and he awoke to the sight of a purplish black shadow -- oh, it was Moofie. He hadn't even realized the poor thing had come along, and had nearly grabbed the beast to strangle it to death … not like it would have worked.  
  
After a moment, and he was sitting up, hand scratching through his still semi-greasy platinum hair. A soft groan and a mumble that took the form of "What do you want?" was let out in the general direction of the shadow feline.  
  
A pair of paws found themselves planted firmly on Dante's chest - a pink tongue lapping at his cheek. It wasn't so much wet as it was like a cold breeze tickling the side of his face. A soft mew given out to the hunter as the outline of the shadow-feline merged with the surrounding darkness, leaping from the man's chest and landing on the floor without a sound. Two pointed ears swiveled on their axis and attention was given to Isabella, sleeping on the bed nearby.   
  
A quick glance, issued by a pair of bright red eyes consulted the hunter, before the small shadow mewed once more, and trotted towards the door, where upon reaching it, scratched at it as though with a desire to be let out.   
  
Dante rose to his feet slowly, attempting to be quiet, and actually managed to do so for once. He made his way towards the door and opened it, assuming Moofie just wanted to be let out. It soon occurred to him this could be quite an important task, in one way or another -- Moofie knew Isabella better than he did, after all -- after Moofie didn't leave, and that he could have snuck out under the door (being a shadow and all) that perhaps he was meant to follow. Confused slightly, he walked back in and looked over Isabella quickly. She was sound asleep, must have been tough to fall asleep in those clothes.  
  
Dante quietly slipped on a pair of his pants... even at night, one must be stylish, so he thought. Though the rest of the outfit was left on the floor, and only his guns were holstered to him. Taking one would have been a bit more practical, but since when did that matter? He never took one without the other. He slowly shut the door behind him, and began creeping up towards the shadow cat in a quiet, half whisper, half mumble,   
  
"Where're w'goin?"   
  
Without any sort of vocal reply, the shadow swept around the hunter's legs, making a figure eight around and between them, and scampered out of the door only to pause for a moment at the wet spot on the floor near the window. Leaning his head down to the puddle; a barely visible velvet black nose twitched in its general direction, before casting a red-eyed glance over his shoulder; tail wavering back and forth idly. A half-choked mew poured forth from the small shadow cat, turning to face the direction from which it came, and a prance in a circle. Moofie definitely wanted Dante to follow.   
  
Chasing after a shadow seemed relatively foolish when said, but in this case it was more like following Lassie. Ok, so it was still semi-foolish, but Dante knew that there could be something actual importance being shown by this feline. Dante knelt down next to the puddle where Moofie was sniffing … yep, it's a puddle. A moment or two later, he rose up and opened the window. As the rain blew in on the bare flesh of his chest and arms, he cowered back a bit; no sort of over shirt or coat made things seem colder than it was. Still, he prepared to step outside onto (hopefully) a rooftop below, he wasn't sure he was all ready for dropping a few stories.   
  
Scrambling upwards after a short hop upwards, the shadow feline leapt upon the windowsill and then down onto the wet rooftop below. The puddles, barely disturbed by the landing of Moofie, reflected the scarcely visible moon through the clouds, and the lightning that streaked across the sky.   
  
Rushing towards the end of the roof, the feline peered over the edge. A way down, there was what looked like a fine courtyard. Trees, bushes, even a lake. Without hesitation, the cat again took from its perch high above the grassy green below, and upon contact with the ground, became a splattered puddle of violet-black goo. For a moment, the puddle remained lifeless but soon enough took the form of the feline again; unharmed and spry as ever. A shrill call above the sound of rain, and the shadow vanished into the shrubbery.   
  
Dante's mouth just lay open for a moment. He was getting too old for this, or at least too lazy. Climbing over the window sill and hanging by his fingers, he kicked off and landed onto the roof with a loud clanging noise, slipping a bit and ending up on his stomach with another thump. Hopping from the rooftop to a nearby tree, he clung onto the limb for dear life, slipping, slipping, and … falling.   
  
Hitting the ground, which was still quite a ways down, directly on top of where Moofie was, a grunt with each fall, and when the last fall out of the tree occurred, he just hoped Moofie wouldn't form a spike or anything, which luckily wasn't the case. Standing up and brushing himself off, although he could really use a wringing out by now, he looked to Moofie with a slight disgruntled-ness in his eyes. Now he wasn't even sure of how to get back to his room, he had always just followed Isabella.   
  
The feline merely looked back with a blink of its bright red eyes, slipping out from under the hunter like a small slug or worm. At least Moofie was in good spirits. After biting onto the leg of Dante's pants, and tugging his leg towards the left, the shadow kitten let go and pranced towards a nearby wall of vines. A loud caterwaul, and the shadow animal was still waiting for the young man to follow as it seemed to disappear straight into the wall of clinging vines. Mewing again as though to let the man know it was possible to continue without smacking into a wall, the sound echoed, reassuring that there was an open area behind the brambles.   
  
Moving to a trot, Dante followed the cat, and attempted to claw his way through the wall of vines. Peering through, it was definitely possible. His gun taken out and shot twice into a few of the knotted areas to release most of the vines. Realizing this probably isn't the most stealthy way to move around, he looked to either side, and again wrestled with the vines. Finally, as though giving up with a deep breath, they allowed him to move through.   
  
Well .. almost. Just as Dante had slipped through the vines, there was a distinct hissing sound. All at once, the vines untangled themselves and shot out towards the humanoid hunter. Wrapping themselves about one ankle, and soon shooting out towards the other, both hands and his throat, the whole wall seemed to have come to life.   
  
Dante's eye widened as the vines came towards him, restraining each of his limbs. Refusing to end up as some statistic of … vine murders … he tilted his head downwards, just barely grabbing hold of the vine with his teeth, his canine's tearing through, and his mouth clenching down as hard as possible. The jaw, in fact, is one of the strongest muscles in the body. Teeth finally tearing through enough to release his throat, he slipped his head under the vine and immediately reached to bite off the one holding his arm, at the same time however, he used the fact that he was now essentially suspended mid air to swing his hips back and forth, pulling his right leg up in a fashion to release his gun from his holster, and fly upwards. His right hand nearly released by way of his teeth, he used a bicep to rip through the rest of the vine, and catch the gun, quickly firing off as many shots as he could in his own general direction (pointed at the vines, of course). Hopefully firing off enough to break partially free, or at least signal Moofie, which he also did verbally with a yelp, before any more vines came out.   
  
The shadowy furs on the back of Moofie's body stood on end, body lowered quickly and braced to the floor on the sound of gunshot, ears slicked back before realizing what was going on. His master's companion was being attacked. Without any hesitation, the shadow kitten nimbly skittered back towards Dante, leaping into the air with great force and, while remaining suspended for a second, head and front paws elongating to form a blade, tail extended like the hilt of a small dagger. Suddenly slipping into motion again, the shadow feline hurled himself in the direction of the remaining vines.   
  
Whizzing by Dante's head, the sound of sliced plant life spilling water to the ground as it became dismembered, the feline-shadow-blade was lodged into the wall for a second, and then rebounded again to land on all four feet.   
  
Removing himself from the vines area all together, staring back, still not quite sure what Moofie was doing, but ever grateful, and would gladly reward him with some milk if he had any, if he even drank milk. Irrelevant questions like this for some reason floated through his mind as he slowly made his way past where he was, head turning back sharply as he made his way in.  
  
"Well that was an interesting start to what should be a _great_ day…"   
  
Grasping Dante's pantleg gently in his jaws, the shadow feline moved around to the front, tugging on the material as he backpedaled deeper into the darkened recess hidden behind what was now a pile of deadened vine. Ears pinned back, bright red eyes radiated faintly to the area around them, stepping further in, the solid ground giving way to something less stone-like, and softer, almost like a powder of some sort.   
  
Dante's eyes scanned the room past the vines, though with Moofie in front of him, he assumed there was no danger whatsoever. Stepping forwards on the powder like substance, his feet felt as though they were slowly sinking, though a solid floor was felt not far down below where he was. The corridor they had arrived in continued down a bit meeting an extremely large metallic door, on the sides of the jagged walls were what appeared to be some form of hieroglyphics and ancient art. A few of the images on the walls seemed to refer to the room, almost as some sort of warning. Dante, noticing something to that extent, though unable to make out any details, felt it would probably be safer for him to stay where he was, and allow the shadow to guide him.   
  
Letting go of Dante's pantleg, Moofie paused and turned around to face the room. For a moment, his red eyes seemed to give off a burst of red light, before two separate beams of the same color lurched forward and filtered over the ground in consideration. Both cone-shaped bolts of light flickered over the markings along the walls, and along the floor. The floor itself, was a dusty powder white color, almost the hue of crushed, or burned bone.   
  
Depressions in the dust that seemed to run the length of the area ahead, and the walls on either side that curved inwards towards the narrower path ahead seemed to have the same indentations in their craggy surfaces, as gilded gold circles. The shadow cast a wary glance behind its shoulder, lit eyes light reflecting off of Dante's pants, and Moofie merely stood his ground as though waiting for assessment from the other.   
  
Dante's own eyes went back and forth between the cat and the path in front of him. Each of them waiting for the other to do something -- seemed this was going places real fast, now. He decided to take a cautious step in between each of the barely visible depressions before, making his way back, eyeing Moofie with the intention of mounting it. Perhaps that would be the easiest way. Taking another look to the end of the hallway, a symmetrical door with areas on each side seemed to sit there as if they were awaiting a sacrifice or gift.  
  
The feline stood and watched the other for a moment, paws gripping the ground below tightly for a moment, shifting the sandy substance below under its padded toes before something seemed to disturb him quite noticeably. Red eyes flickered around the wide, open room for a moment, before consulting the ground below. The sand was shifting around the center of the room, where the edge of a slightly larger depression was visible just barely at the amount of light given off by Moofie's flashlight-like eyes.   
  
It wasn't before long that something else seemed to be happening - now, not only was the fine substance below the center of the room moving, but the entire perimeter of the area seemed to be slithering -- a good three feet wide, and maybe twenty feet long. The smaller depressions in the ground were becoming more and more visible, like sands shifting through an hour glass.   
  
When he had noticed the ground moving and sinking even further down, Dante's reflexes took over. Hands moved to the wall along with one foot. The other was then placed on top of Moofie, hoping it's loyalty and friendliness to its master carried over to him, otherwise his foot would probably end up like a snack of steak on a stick to the shadow cat. Balance wasn't exactly an easy thing to master when standing on a cat, nevertheless, Dante attempted to reach the end of the sandy like floor, a few wobbles back and forth before losing almost all of his stability.   
  
A hand was pushed forwards to intercept the ground just in case a complete fall was about to occur. The door at the end of a small corridor was seeming more and more elusive.  
  
Moofie, for the most part, was cooperative with Dante's efforts to stay out of the path of the sinking sands, but then the wide ripple of dust sped directly below his toes, pushing his body upwards and causing the shadowy furs on his back to rise, little knife like fangs baring themselves in a hiss as his brilliant eyes forced themselves to follow the source as he desperately attempted to keep his balance.  
  
An eye-ripping blue flared in the corridor, as the undetermined art and pictographs came to life with light, encircling the entire, pear-shaped room. Surges of what appeared some sort of energy amassing themselves at the ceiling directly above the middle of the room spreading over the sand and parting it in waves. The feline squinted in the flying dust, as the rolling ground spiraled towards the center of the room, and a massive cloud of dust rose from what seemed an explosion from below.   
  
Before the light even cleared, the faint outline of something reaching the near top of the ceiling was visible -- long, tube-like, several stiff, sharply angular appendages stuck into the ground. The sound of what was like metal grating against a chalkboard filled the air along with the sound of the sand sifting down ... down ... down. Sharp points were slowly becoming visible through the whitish dust, but when the cloud of dust created by the explosion cleared, a leathery-skinned, worm-like creature arched its muscular body into an S figure, two sharp, bladed arms outstretched to its sides and the others supporting part of its body out of the sand was blocking the corridor.   
  
"Oh… Shit…"  
  
Dante's eyes widened as the creature came up to meet them, meanwhile, the sharp objects in the background sounded as though there were getting closer and closer. He froze for just a moment, foot resting on Moofie, perhaps just due to the imbalance, since a moment later, staring directly into what could have been called the 'face' of that creature was Dante, expression charge 180 around with a grin that just seemed to say "I have a death wish". Drawing Ebony from it's holster, pointing it directly towards the creature, the muscles of his leg tightened, and launched himself upwards to start a gunfight.  
  
Just as Dante leapt, the creature seemed to make a violent shift in the hole it was seemingly stuck in. One bladed arm rose and swiped outwards towards the red-clad figure -- a round opening appeared on what was apparently the face of the creature, seven small green orb-like eyes now glistening as hot, fetid saliva poured from the opening in which three rows of jagged, finger-length teeth lay.  
  
Moofie moved as soon as Dante did, as the sand below his paws gave way and started to sink downwards towards the center of the room. Like lightning, the feline had circled around behind the worm-creature - several strong-looking plates of spiked natural armor covered its back, but the feline didn't resist to try an attack. Planting his paws in the ground, the shadow cat's head seemed to narrow considerably, then shoot forward towards the plate, only to make little more than a nick in it's armoring.   
  
The creature, on the other hand, responded in like by sending one of its bladed legs down and into the sand below, a moment later the blade resurfaced from below directly under Moofie. Only with the spry step of a feline, the cat managed to move away with a small scratch to his side.   
  
Dante's jump, which had left him relatively open for an attack, had resulted in his landing sideways on the ground, narrowly missing a separation of his torso from his legs. Several loud, resounding shots were fired off in rapid succession as he hit the ground, but the lack of any effect on the target caused him to stop, and re-think his situation. With no sword, perhaps he'd have to get up close and personal for a few shots.   
  
Using the distraction which Moofie provided, Dante ran up around to the side of the creature. Though he fired with one hand, his focus was on his feet, in the ground. While this sand was where the creature lived, it might also be able to be used as a cell for it, so Dante thought anyways. His eyes roamed the walls, but ended up looking towards the large depressions in the floor.   
  
The sound of bullets being wedged into the thick hide of the creature was drowned out by the sound of its nerve-wrecking screech. The worm twisted and turned in its position, apparently half-out of the sand that sifted even more quickly into its general vicinity, and all at once it seemed to slide downwards, bladed arms and all vanishing into the sand below. The sifting seemed to stop for the moment, as Moofie regrouped himself near Dante.  
  
Now, around the perimeter of the room was the three-foot-wide, twenty-so-feet-long wave of sand circling, then vanish from sight completely. Moofie refused to let his guard down for the moment, however, toes sprawled into the sand as though testing for vibrations in the ground. Ears pinned, slicked back against hits black skull, the shadow cat's tail whipped furiously behind it - again his eyes searching all directions for a trace of the creature.  
  
A trace that came all too soon. Without so much as a sound, four gnarled, pointed spike-like appendages snapped out from the sand and clashed against the ceiling only inches away from Dante's feet and Moofie's paws, and retracted again. A fraction of a second later, snapped behind them -- they had a split second to move.   
  
As the stabbing extension rushed past him, Dante's immediate reaction was to jump backwards, out of the way of perhaps a future guided attack. With no sign of the creature, his back stayed rigid, eyes focused on the various areas around the floor. When a new sinkhole appeared, he fired multiple shots towards it, as if to clear the area of any piece of the creature.   
  
If he couldn't see it above the ground, the best idea that came into Dante's head was to go down below, and fight it where it was. The alternative of waiting for another form of attack, perhaps this time not so "easily" avoided, whether it would even surface enough again in order to attack it, was questionable. Then there was the problem of figuring out how to actually hurt it. As his mind ran over several of the possibilities, his legs was already carrying him over to the sink hole near the wall, pushing against the sand with enough force to keep him from sinking down and restricting his movement.   
  
Again a few shots were fired as he dove head first towards the sand, hopefully bringing him to whatever layer of the room was below where they were, and hopefully not into a stone floor to break his nose; a possibility he hadn't quite fully explored as of yet.   
  
The pass was made again, and as the Hunter flung himself off in the opposite direction, the diminutive shadow cat hung back and watched the circling motion of the creature. As predicted by the feline, the worm surfaced again in the same spot, bullets ricocheting off the hard plates and lodging into the walls, crackling with energy.  
  
Moofie leapt towards the beast, losing sight of Dante for the first time since they had come down here together, as the sand in which the hunter dove seemed to devour his hands, head, shoulders, torso, thighs, calves, and then boots -- the waves of the sand acting as muscles, pushing Dante downwards into the depths within. Just when it was nearly to the point of suffocating him, there was a break in the sand, and the hunter was deposited on what appeared to be the ceiling of the room he was just previously in. Everything was inverted, save for the subsequent lack of Moofie. However, now, at the center of what was above him -- churning sands that defied gravity -- a skeletal version of the same creature was looming practically face to face with him, oozing with a foul black, tar-like substance -- red orbs in place of green.   
  
To Dante's surprise, the creature had stayed above, in fact, it was always above, merely hiding inside the sands. The other half of the creature, located where he was, seemed to be a much more decrepit version of the one above, but he wasn't about to consider it to be any less powerful. He circled the skeleton, rapidly and alternately firing Ebony and Ivory; shooting towards it, looking around for a way back up. He thought perhaps there could be some form of trap door device to perhaps seal the whole thing down below; after all, without a sword, destroying this thing could be relatively tough.   
  
Something shattered. Splinters of bone rained down upon Dante as he continued to circle the creature, though it turned on its axis and swiped out with a sickly looking blade-arm. The finger-length teeth opened up for a moment, and something blue began pulsate from within its mouth. It was then that something else blue became apparent. Something orb like, hidden by hanging flesh and shriveling brown inner organs behind the creature's sternum.   
  
Dante rushed underneath the bone structure where he had seen the glowing orb like structure. As the arm came down towards him, he immediately jumped into the air, firing at the appendage in order to keep it from slicing him, safely coming up level with the creature's mouth. Pointing his gun directly at the beast's open mouth, just as the jaw had began to constrict, teeth rushing downwards towards him, Dante fired inside of the bony mouth towards the bluish pulsating orb, slowly falling to the ground, and continuing to fire -- just then noticing some sort of core in it's 'stomach'.   
  
Head knocked off course slightly, the wail of the creature and its throes thrashed the whitish sand about as more bone splintered and disintegrated into the dust above. The blue pulsing light in its mouth erupted sharply thereafter into a long, thin beam of light sent through the sand that it resided in. The sand seemed to burn and vanish on contact, and the sharp sound of splitting flesh was barely audible above the thrashing of the bone creature. Each skeletal leg flailed the air; blades slicing it in two with a sharp whistle. The head then moved its trajectory, the beam searing the rock formation that was the wall with its light, scarring the surfaces before snapping out in anger towards Dante.   
  
All at once, the creature's hanging body seemed to move with a jolt downward; the sound of tearing above the blockade of sand apparent.   
  
Dante quickly stopped shooting, falling towards the ground at the same time the skeletal worm was thrashing downwards at him. The very second his feet hit the ground, he threw himself into a roll off to the side. As the creature's blades swung towards him, and managed to slice along the side of the hunter, splitting the left hip of his pants as well as digging several inches into the meat of his leg. A grunt was let out from the platinum haired hunter as he stumbled at the end of his roll, hand pressed hard against the side of his leg. Eyes squinted slightly, fixed on the creature, he realized this was a fifty-fifty chance of survival. Despite the loss of blood with each tightening of his thigh muscles, he sprinted towards the creature before strafing around it, attempting to get access to the orb he had seen.   
  
With the sound of another tear, the creature seemed to fall even further, before the next resounding, loud crack sent the skeletal half of the creature plummeting to the rocky ground below; a slick reddish green substance covering where it had once been connected to the other half. Several shattering bones splintered in numerous directions, as the decrepit creature lay prone across the floor, flashing a single bladed arm out towards its assailant with little luck. Half of the skull was gone by now, spilling gray matter and inner organs onto the floor with alternately wet and dry flops.   
  
The brilliant blue orb was clearly visible now, pulsating even more vehemently than it was before as several tendril-like inner organs slipped around it in a vain attempt to conceal and protect it.   
  
Firing Ebony and Ivory repeatedly at the arm which was attacking him to the point where their barrels' heat was making the butt burn in order to deflect it, Dante noticed the orb open and ready for breaking. Taking the slightly more risky way out, a last minute dodge towards the center of the creature resulted in a slight gash on his right ribs, however it was worth it. Now directly in front of the orb, both barrels of Ebony and Ivory were pressed against the orb and fired in alternating as fast as he could pull the triggers.   
  
The attacking arm was dislodged from the body, sent hurdling across the room and shattering upon contact with the wall, while the relentless attack on the now defenseless bone-beast's orb had reached its pinnacle, cracks of red formed in the sphere's surface as it was riddled with bullets. Rays of light emitted from within the sphere, all at once it had shattered under the force of Dante's gunning. The bone-like surfaces almost instantly became motionless, soft and powder-like as the orb exploded, causing a dust eruption and the flinging of several estranged organs all along the walls, staining them with a wet, warm substance. Dante turned his face from the explosion of pieces of organs from the creature, until the raining of the internal fluids ceased.   
  
All at once, the sand that had been lingering on what was the roof of this room, had come to topple down on top of the hunter as the beast was destroyed, leaving the room a mass of white particles of powdered bone and sand, and Dante was buried a live in the eruption.  
  
Dante attempted to swim his way up through the sand, though it was a lot harder than it would have been -- with the quicksand effect due to the loose packing of the sand which had freshly piled up. Not being able to breath nor see, it was a stroke of luck that his body managed to push itself up high enough for his right hand to emerge from the sand, though not extremely high, or long, as he was already sinking back down below.   
  
As Dante's hand sunk back into the sand, another plunged into it grasping his fingers and pulling hard upwards. A set of paws digging frantically at the shifting sands below in an attempt to free the captive, white-haired man from the quicksand. Slender digits wrapped tightly around his hand as a pair of boots gripped firmly to the broken rock they were placed upon, and a heave of a pair of delicate looking, red-clad shoulders, Isabella was there attempting to pull her partner from the jaws of fate, Moofie assisting the gesture as he continued to move the sands around, away from him.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes** Haha! Updated. :D;; This one's somewhat long, the song is insanely long too. Ah well x.x Still running here, aside from the fact that it's still taking a while for me to put some of this stuff up. We're falling behind again with the other things we're doing. Please be patient with us as we continue to try to bring you quality stuff. ^^ 


	16. The Gateway

_ Delerium, Among the Ruins  
(instrumental)   
  
_   
  
  
  


**Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
_The Gateway_  
[By Ultema and Guo]  
  
  


A second hand emerged from the sand, grasping Isabella's arm, and tighten down on her arms, they strained to pull down. The small, depressed area of the sand resembling that of an hour glass gave way to a nose, then a pair of cheek bones, and eventually the entire head of Dante busted through. His eyes and mouth were shut tight, no breathing whatsoever from the man, yet he was obviously pulling himself up. Finally removed from the sand, he rolled to the side, hacking up a lung.   
  
Gasping in for air, he staggered to his feet. He glared towards the remains of the sand creature and spat in its general direction, "..Shit head...!"   
  
Taking a minute to brush off his tush, Dante hobbled over to Isabella and smirked at her, leaning most of his weight on her shoulder to take a breather, "You alright, babe?" His eyes looked up to hers as his hand reached down to pet Moofie, who happened to be clinging to his pant leg, slowly sliding down and leaving a few scratch marks behind. His smirk transforming into a light smile, Dante then reached up to pet Isabella, ruffling the top of her hair slightly.  
  
"Somehow I know things aren't going to get easier.. are they?"   
  
"I'm fine. You're just lucky I noticed you weren't babbling in your sleep," Isabella offered in return as she patted down the top of her hair and then promptly moving to brush the extra sand off of the red trench coat she was wearing (which was a good deal too large for her, at that).   
  
"Otherwise you would have been worm food. And honestly Moofie ..." She turned slightly to send a piercing glare towards the shadow feline, whose ears pulled back, slick against his skull as his mistress reprimanded him.  
  
One tattooed shoulder slipped out of the coat, then the other, and it was soon handed over to Dante, along with the turtleneck he always wore with it (sometimes she wondered if he ever washed his clothing), and thesword he hadn't brought with him when he ventured out with the feline.   
  
Pausing for a moment before pulling his shirt on over his head and slinging his coat over his own shoulders, he soon placed his sword onto his back where it held, staying in place there with the same power he had discovered in him when he was a child.   
  
"Alright, what'dya say we get the hell out of here..."   
  
Assuming the other two could easily get out on their own, but refusing to get a free ride from one of them, he ran over to the wall, leaping into the air with a hard press of his left foot into the ground, twisting his body in the air, he pressed his right foot into the wall, and sprung himself up to the upper level which he barely caught onto with his hands, but quickly pulling himself up. Looking towards the others, and then towards the other end of the room he reluctantly began to make his way over. This whole place stank.   
  
Moofie was next to follow suit, leaping effortlessly upwards onto the overhang and padding off into the long corridor that stretched downwards, eventually passing Dante and disappearing into the darkness beyond. Isabella was soon enough nearly stepping on the Hunter's heels as she, too, proceeded with caution down the stench-filled hallway. There were paintings scrawled in what appeared to be a dripping red substance along the walls, too washed out and flaked to see clearly.  
  
There were several suits of tarnished, scorched armor lining the hall, from one of which Isabella took a damp-looking bundle of wood wrapped in an oily white rag. As soon as her fingertips wound around it, a violet flame sprang forth from the bundle and danced just above it, illuminating the corridor in a deep amethyst glow.   
  
Lifting his turtleneck over his mouth and nose, and jogging to catch up with Isabella, having stopped to look at the portraits with a careful eye, they could easily be some sort of scary, killing, death creature knowing this place. His eye fixated on the fire Isabella carried, as he continued down the hallway without looking exactly where he was stepping, obviously contemplating something in his mind, he wasn't exactly, well, with it. It wasn't long before he began hearing a crunching noise below his feet with each step. A room, or just a wall, was nearing up ahead, but of course, he trusted Isabella.. no.. Moofie, knew where he was going.   
  
"It sounds like this ground is made out of fortune cookies.." His eyes remained fixated around Isabella, every once and a while glancing towards the features up ahead. He was definitely getting Indiana Jones flashbacks. God, that guy rocked.  
  
"Some damn nasty fortune cookies if you ask me..." Isabella responded under her breath, lowering the torch to view a shining floor of insect corpses, husks, live beetles and serpents that scattered as the violet flame lapped at the stones below.  
  
Against the far most wall, the glimmer of a gold-gilded statue, large rubies for eyes (five in all), and gleaming ivory for teeth, but the form was mostly obscured by a strange, exceptionally cold, misty shadow.   
  
Dante may have been a lot more durable than an average guy on the outside, but on the inside... well, he almost puked his non-existent lunch onto Isabella's lovely hair, and of course this whole endeavor would have just ended in his immediate death. This wasn't turning out good, not to his surprise, though. When he finally reopened his eyes, he was at the foot of this incredibly large statue. A small sigh escaped his lips, as he looked to the other two. His sight clouded slightly, but he attempted to inspect what were the toes of this beast. As Isabella brought her torch nearer, it became clearer as to what this was.  
  
"Who puts a statue of dog in here..? " Dante's voice trailed off as he slowly began to reconsider everything around him. Running up to the statue of the beast again, he began knocking on it's knees with his hands, slowly beginning to hit harder and harder. All at once, his hand reached behind to grab the hilt of his sword.   
  
But before he could do anything in lieu of breaking things, Isabella had stepped in front of him and was inspecting the statue carefully, fingers grazing over the marble trimmed with precious substances.  
  
" Look here…" She hissed, bending her knees and dropping into a crouch at the clawed feet of the mammoth statue, something faintly inscribed at the bottom. Drawing the violet torch closer, Isabella attempted to read what was scrawled into the surface of the stone. Squinting she pursed her lips together tightly in thought.  
  
"Can you read this?"   
  
Bringing himself to where Isabella was looking, his hand removed itself from his sword. An inspection of the symbols on the statue revealed to Dante the knowledge of... that there was yet another language he didn't know… Once again, his hand reached back to his sword hilt, standing up. His eyes widened as he swung his sword down hard, piercing the shell of an incredibly large beetle about to crawl onto his back.   
  
Leaning on his sword, he glanced upwards noticing the statue had not one, but three heads, not thinking much of it, having not been all that brushed up on Greek mythology or anything. He merely continued looking around, noticing a small rusting panel on the wall nearest him, containing yet more writing.  
  
"Hey, come look at this… It looks like a ... T falling down on here, or something.. y'know? But I can't read the thing." Dante hit his hand against he wall and leaned against it. "Well, either this is some sort of riddle, or an tribute to old fluffy... Either way, are you sure we're going the right way? …That worm thing before could have easily been guarding people from stealing this. It is.. gold.. after all.." Smirking, his eye ran over the height of the statue. Meanwhile his fingers ran along the wall out of boredom, and eventually pushed a bit of the crustiness inwards, revealing an ever so small, oddly shaped hole.   
  
Isabella was too busy to respond to Dante for the moment, searching deep in her memory to read the words that were displayed. It took a while, considering the writing was both archaic and corroded, though while the hunter fondled the wall, she managed to recall the language and decipher the plaque in question.   
  
"Three in name and one in form  
At the Gates do stand;  
Cold and hot both break the locks,  
While warm provides the door.  
  
Two in form and one in name  
Together enter and turn the same;  
Too late is forgotten, too soon is too late,  
devour, and into the bowels lies the future. "   
  
She paused rising upwards and resting a hand on the muzzle of the huge dog, and called over her shoulder towards Dante, her eyes not leaving the plaque.  
  
"I got it, we need ..."   
  
" …a KEY!"  
  
Dante's eyes widened as they both called out at the same time; a Kodak moment, really. He glanced over to her area and began to walk over, leaving his hand on the hole, which soon pulled him back over to it to examine. Torn between what exactly he wanted to do, he pulled out his keys and began comparing them to the keyhole in the wall. Even though it was an attempt to see what kind of key they were looking for, it just looked like he was trying to open the trunk of his car or something. Finally returning over to where Isabella was, he opened his mouth to speak to her, before turning to the shadow cat. "Moofie wouldn't happen to know where this key was, would he?" He had obviously given up on Isabella actually knowing what was going on, but was quite intrigued with the story, just then mentioning it.  
  
"Er.. did you say, devour?"   
  
"Yes! Wait, no! I -- " Isabella cut herself short with that, looking about the dimly lit room for a key, a key.. where would they find a key. For a brief moment she let her attention fall on Moofie, sitting idly in the corner watching the two of them from a comfortable perch near the eel-like tail of the three headed dog when it finally came to her. Patting herself down, a key was procured from the belt that sat loosely around her waist, and she moved to the front of the statue, eyeing it intently as she moved around Dante and came to a stop before the middle head.  
  
"Now where the hell..."   
  
Thinking for a moment, Dante's head actually had a semi-intelligent thought, mumbling under his breath; "Hmm. Three heads.. turn same time.. two keys.. oh wait.." He strode over to Isabella without really giving much thought to what he was doing, and simply reached out placing his hand on her hip where she retrieved the other key, and searched around for another while looking around, eventually slipping a key out.   
  
"Hey!" Isabella squawked as Dante moved away without a second's though. Both of her brows knit tightly down together in a scowl as she watched half in question half out of annoyance towards her partner.   
  
Without really looking towards her, his mind a bit preoccupied with one thing, he placed the key into the hole, which was revealed earlier.  
  
He turned the key, with doing so a small click sounded and the wall shot a fine needle possibly a good foot in length out towards him, with a swing in his hips, he eyed his jacket gain a new hole through each side, narrowly missing his waist. Isabella managed to whirl around just before a thin object flittered through the space between herself and Dante, and lodged in the wall on the other side with a twang.  
  
"Uh, I think we might have to turn these. but.. maybe at the same time?" His body stuck in the position he was just in, his hips flared out slightly, hand now rubbing the back of his head.   
  
A slender mahogany brow risen and full lips puckered into a thoughtful pout, she offered a nod in response to Dante's suggestion, cautiously crossing the space between him and the other head.  
  
"You're right ... "   
  
_Two in form and one in name, together enter and turn the same._  
  
"Aha.. " Oh yes, it was so obvious now. But the last part was a little disheartening, considering what just happened. Though without hesitation, Isabella searched around for what was more than likely the twin hole to her partner's, and sure enough it was there in the wide, gaping jaws of the rightmost head.  
  
"Ready...?"  
  
_Too late is forgotten, too soon is too late..._  
  
Turning their keys at the same time, Dante flinched as another clicking sound occurred, his other hand reaching towards his gun. A soft rumbling could be felt in the ground, slowly getting more and more violent. The statue's middle head was cracking its outer golden shell, revealing an obsidian like rock underneath, which appeared to be opening up. In a few moments, the lower jaw had widened enough for a person to slip through, almost like a slide. Quite a scary thought considering inside was a sculpted tongue as well. Meanwhile the keys were drawn into their respective holes, and it was quite obvious where they were supposed to go. The ground shook more violently, and pieces of the walls and ceiling began to crumble. It didn't look like the way back was going to be a viable option. Moofie had already hopped in.  
  
"Ladies first.." He grinned towards his partner, showing his hand to the mouth. Waiting for her to enter, he looked over the statue once again, poking at one of the eyes.. yep, it was a statue... "Ah hell, I like being swallowed anyways.."  
  
Taking only a second cursory glance at Dante , nose wrinkled in response to his jest, Isabella stepped forward and onto the slick surface of the marble tongue. The sound of her boot was strangely muffled by something, though the interior of the dank, damp smelling cavernous mouth of the stone creature was completely empty. One hand gingerly touched the cold, wet wall at her side. It was slick, and ribbed. As her weight shifted forward, the sole of her boot slipped on the slick surface of the tongue, and with a loud squeak of the rubber as well as a squeak of her own, she was sent tumbling down the chute-like corridor.   
  
A smirk climbed onto his face as he watched Isabella's slip... it seemed like everything she did amused him. That, however, wasn't exactly a good thing. It meant he was getting attached, something which, for him, would always prove to be a worthless endeavor. Now wasn't the time either. This place had been throwing life-threatening obstacles in their path since they arrived, and now that they were obviously moving right into the lion's mouth, he couldn't let petty feelings get in the way of surviving.   
  
Dante soon followed the other two down the mouth of the beast, deciding to go on his behind from the get go as opposed to falling like his companion, he slid quite fast down what must have been the throat of the stone beast. Only one twist, then a near straight drop landed him quite hard on the ground below with a grunt and puff of air from his lungs, just behind Isabella. He rose a hand to the back of his head and peered quizzically about. Pure blackness to all sides... but a light illuminating them. It was almost as if there were no walls to this place. An endless, open, lit cave.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes**It's a little short, but I'm just trying to stay a bit ahead of myself here. ^^More coming soon, notice the new frequency of updating? :D ;D 


	17. Bad Dog, no Biscuit

_ On a night of a fiery moon  
Your witchborn mother summoned me  
Whispering my dreadful names  
Raising the southern winds  
  
I rode to her on griffon's wings  
Piercing the darkness of her dreams  
She begged the dark to be my bride  
To bear my son, the demigod  
  
I am the Dragon, supreme king  
I am the dark that gave you birth  
I am the blood and I am the life  
Death riders my chariots of sin  
  
But if a war is what you want  
Then in my Name so it will be  
When Cerberus will howl at Hades  
I'll come my son your soul to take  
~Pretender to the Throne (Opus I: The Usurper's Spawn), Necromantia   
  
_   
  
  
  


**Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
_Bad Dog, no Biscuit_  
[By Ultema and Guo]  
  
  


"So... do you think we're in the right place yet? ... I mean.. you are taking me somewhere right? Heh, this looks kinda like the definition of nowhere."   
  
_... Go to Cerberus, he has what you seek ..._  
  
"I'm sure we are," Isabella snorted out as she pushed herself up and off the ground, patting down her clothing. Large clouds of dust puffed from areas here and there, with Moofie peering curiously from side to side, tail twitching in anticipation. The area itself was large, and smelled very much like a pit of charred flesh. Though, while this scent was obvious, it was the scent of what was something like fur and saliva that caught Isabella's attention. " ... This has to be the way..."  
  
The light seemed to pulsate every now and again, or flicker gently without a source. Overhead, glistening trickles of light seemed to flitter along edges of unseen objects; the air high with tension - warm vibrations of air passing over their bodies as they remained there in silence. Isabella clenched one hand tightly around something Dante hadn't seen before; a single silver cross on a leather tether around her neck.   
  
Did he know where they were going? Of course he didn't! He couldn't even tell what direction he was going in. His eyebrows reacted to the sight of her cross, and his hand instinctively rose to his own chest, however, finding nothing. An odd feeling he couldn't describe came over him, he didn't even know what it was over, but his mind was completely distracted. Suddenly, things seemed less important, almost as if his mind was being numbed. He began to lag behind slightly before looking up sharply.  
  
"What was that?" Dante was puzzled, unsure if he had heard something or not. His eyes raced around. It was as though the room was making him go insane. Having a harder time walking with each step, he couldn't help but stop for a moment, kneeling down to breath heavily. His head throbbed, and with each spike of pain the "lights" went out completely, relighting as the pain subsided. He groaned loudly, followed by a sharp shout, hand dropping to the ground as the lights went out again. As he caught himself before falling on a rounded object, the lights returned.   
  
As he regained some sense of self, Dante found his hand resting upon a skull, which was just one of what could have been millions upon millions of others. The entire floor was littered with them – almost made up completely of them, though it hadn't been before. His eyes widened as he looked around for Isabella and their feline companion, neither of which seemed to be with him anymore. He felt a warm liquid drip slowly onto his hand, then slowly gain in speed until it was pouring. A coppery scent filled the air as he looked down to see his own blood pouring onto his hand. Immediately, Dante's hands ran to his body, searching for the source. Reaching upwards towards his forehead, it appeared as though a whole had been carved into his skull.   
  
His heart skipped a beat, and he wanted to shout, yet a flash of light and he was kneeling down again, hand on his temples. A headache, yes, but blood, no. Looking up, his vision, while quite hazy, had revealed that he was still in the presence of Isabella... no skull floor. His eyes were filled with doubt and mistrust... yet, it wasn't Isabella he blamed. Nothing he was thinking could really be placed into the realm of comprehensibility.   
  
With Dante sunk to the floor, Isabella had dropped to her knees nearby, hands outstretched to grasp her partner's shoulders tightly in reassurance, fingertips finding themselves wound about the red texture of his coat, her own eyes scanning over the emptiness. The ebbing warmth seemed to offer a whispering laugh onto the air, caressing her face with a fetid stench of burnt skin and rotting flesh. Mindlessly, she rubbed Dante's arm as he fought to regain lost ground in his own mind.  
  
"Shh, it's all right, close your eyes... try not to think..."  
  
The air curled itself into whispers, voices of familiar faces that emerged from out of the darkness in wraithlike forms. They circled, they wailed, prosecuted and damned her; family, friends, loves and hates. A whirlwind of screaming voices, rising in their treble as they continued to emerge from all sides of the trio. Even the shadowy furs on the back of Moofie stood on end at this apparition from Hell, though Isabella's eyebrows knit tightly down on her forehead.  
  
"That's ENOUGH!"  
  
All at once, the hand supporting Dante flashed out, her fingertips raking through the ghostly forms of familiar faces before her, and with them, like smoke the images curled and died away with a cold breeze, until there was only darkness, and the hollowness of three figures in the void.  
  
There was silence.   
  
Silence.  
  
The air returned again, warm and damp - though this time the source seemed closer. Five eyes appeared in the darkness, in pairs all but one -- and from far above their heads did they lower to ground level. A harsh snort from before the three as they looked on, forced the hot air to beat against their faces again, and the flickering lights returned. Unseen flames danced in the eyes of a hideous beast of adumbrated bone. Muscle exposed between tears in pallid, dead flesh. Jagged, needle-shaped teeth, as long as chair legs and as thick as a man's forearm parted gently to reveal three half decayed tongues. A massive creature, rivaling Griffon in size sat before them, paws twice the size of either Isabella or Dante crossed before them, and much in its own amusement, seemed to be smiling at them.  
  
_I find it interesting you would actually show up here, Euryon._  
  
The beast's jaws did not move, instead its canine eyes stared hard at the three before it, unblinking. Almost unseeing.  
  
As Dante sight began to return to him, he slowly began to see the glowing eyes of the beast which stood before them, though not much else was perfectly clear at the time. His immediate thought was to cut whatever was in front of him into about 100 different pieces, and in fact, he got so far as to grabbing his sword and nearly slashing at poor Isabella before realizing she was quite a bit smaller than whatever it was in front of them. His eyes squinted slightly, and he cocked his head backwards, grinning to what he thought was directly at the beast in front of him.   
  
"So you're the one fucking with my mind, eh? .. You think your cheap parlor tricks are really all that great, bub?" He was waltzing back and forth, now, taunting as best he could, though he stopped for a moment to actually think. Euryon, what name was this? There wasn't anyone else here was there? He wasn't that slow though, it noticed Isabella react to the name and decided to sit back a moment and study both this beast, and his companion. He wasn't exactly prepared to find out another secret about his lady friend... just how much could she be hiding, he thought.   
  
_Though I'm afraid you already know, I won't let you or your accomplice pass here. You've proved yourself more of a nuisance than anything else these last few hundred years. _  
  
The sound of bones grating one another, ripping flesh and the hiss of an unknown source resounded all at the same time. Below their feet, the floor gave way to the crunch of bone. The creature rose upwards from its resting position - flames rising from what seemed to be the ground to form an encompassing circular wall of blistering heat that turned the bone to powder within milliseconds.   
  
_I don't know how the Master did not realize that the human woman would be a thorn in our side. I knew it from the start._  
  
The creature hissed without a single movement of its jaws. Massive limbs outstretched and braced as above became visible blades, suspended by little more than what appeared to be air.  
  
"Listen..." Dante, butting his way into the conversation of course, rose an accusatory finger towards the huge creature "I don't know why you, an overgrown deformed puppy, is talking to my partner like that, but she'll get a talking to when we get home, isn't that right, babe?" A wink was offered towards Isabella with a sly grin, despite still being quite confused as to who and what she was; there was a time, which wasn't now, and a place, which wasn't here, to find all that out. This beast, on the other hand, had to be dealt with.   
  
"Now, can I give you a milk bone or three and you'll all just look the other way, or am I going to have to add you to my wall?" Ebony was pulled from it's resting place and spun once or twice, while he placed his other hand on his hip, letting himself appear wide open for an attack.   
  
Isabella fell back towards her partner, eyes that refused to reflect light glancing for the briefest of moments to the teal hues of her companion's. He never changed, did he? But that was not the issue at hand here. Not now, not ever. Now was the time to finish what was soon to be started. Her boots rattled against the bones that made up the floor, hands at her sides.  
  
The beast snorted in Dante's general direction, eyes peering down towards the white-haired man with as much disgust as the creature of rotting flesh could muster, though it made no move to fight, or to defend itself from whatever was to come.  
  
_You, child, are a puppet. You have blindly walked into this situation, like so many before you. Though I will give you one thing. You **did** last longer. _  
  
"Yeah, and what worth were you to him, sent here to guard something that's rightfully mine only to end up dead. It's a shame, isn't it Cerberus?" Isabella responded, both the woman and the monster ignoring Dante for the time being, with only Moofie to acknowledge his presence.   
  
Dante'd had quite enough after that last statement, his sword was drawn and swung several times around in display before stabbing straight towards the foremost foot of the beast, just for a little kick to the groin type fighting. Though when his blade reached the foot of the beast, it just went straight through. The beast itself appeared to have vanished -- as if it had never really been there to begin with. Nearly losing his balance due to the pure miss of his attack, he stabbed downwards into the skulls below to catch himself. Several broken pieces of the skulls flew upwards, and he had returned to a standing position, staring back at Isabella and Moofie. Raising an eyebrow towards the both of them, he began to peer around the "room".   
  
A maniacal chuckle could be heard resonating off of the non-existent walls, obviously from Cerberus. Dante could feel the laugh vibrate his chest -- it felt as though it were coming from directly around him. Soon, a gust of hot, and putrid smelling air filled his general vicinity, as he hopped backwards, slashing towards the air around him. As he reached Isabella, the air had revealed a slight cut. Steaming blood dripping downwards from nothingness to the ground below, and where there was nothing before. Dante had actually walked into the mouth of one without realizing it, and now, he began to worry.. or at least, re-evaluate the situation.   
  
"Shit ... "  
  
The only real input from Isabella as she and Moofie took a more fleet-footed approach to things. The shadow feline leapt atop Isabella's shoulder, her own back touching that of Dante's as her left foot fell upon the whole of his shadow. A liquid blackness slithered up the slender arc of her leg, wound up and around her waist and torso, crept up to her shoulder and slid down her arm, until it formed a spike at the end of her hand. A black sword appeared, the direct copy of the one that Dante held, within her grasp. Her boot moving away from her partner's shadow, the hollow hum of energy ebbed from the blade. Isabella pivoted with one foot in the bones, clattering noisily as she turned with great force. The blade extended, the whole of her shoulders twisting for a powerful, swift thrust in the general direction of what appeared to have been Cerberus' last position. There was no time for questions right now.   
  
Dante began edging forwards, not sure which way to look or swing. Wherever he stepped off of, lava had taken the form of his boot and remained as a foot print. Just as he noticed them, the footprints seemed to be forming before he was even stepping, no matter which way he turned, or tried to "fool" them. His brain began to think as opposed to react like a dog's would, and he stopped to see what would happen. No burning sensation, that is, until a blast of fire came from directly above -- one of the heads had appeared directly above him. Barely escaping with his flesh, he had dove back towards Isabella.   
  
Blade connecting to nothing, Isabella had resorted to grasping handfuls of powdered bone and tossing them in random directions just to test if the impossible theory of cloaking was out of the question. Which it seemed to have been. She turned to face Dante as he drew near, one hand moving before him, half protecting him at the front with her own body.   
  
"I don't know what to do..." Not that she was worried about her own life, even Cerberus knew that much, but it was Dante's life that mattered in this particular meeting.  
  
Dante realized there wasn't anything wrong with his eyes, it was his mind. And there wasn't exactly much he could do about that. Noticing Moofie standing perfectly still, eyes looking directly at something. Readying his weapons, he looked over to see only Isabella. This was going to be tough to stab in the dark. Rushing over towards Isabella in order to warn her he was nearby, he quickly stopped in his tracks. Moofie wasn't staring near Isabella, he was staring AT her.   
  
Moofie had been staring for quite some time with his ears pinned back, eyes flaring orbs of red, and it wasn't until he had let out a monstrous howl that Isabella bothered to pay attention to.  
  
Dante continued running towards Isabella. Turning around, and peering around the room again, his back fully towards her, another bit of warmth began to rise from above Dante once again. His hands clenched on his sword, swinging it backwards with a hand placed against the back of the hilt, he stabbed directly … backwards -- towards Isabella. Stabbing directly _**through**_ her.   
  
The sound of split flesh broke the momentary silence of the air as Isabella's own image seemed to twist and wink out of existance - the tearing and wet flop of a massive eye falling from its socket. The creature had been stabbed through the eye of it's rightmost head, and through the brain cavity, severing its spinal cord and rendering the head useless. The bones below their feet rattled under the tremendous force of Cerberus' howl, vicious snarling and hot bubbling saliva poured forth from the now visible middle head, looming directly above Dante. Single eye blazing with fury, the massive body of the three-headed canine was fully visible. Mad with rage, a huge, serpentine tail lashed out from behind the massive figure, jaws wide and teeth bared, oozing with its venom sped blindly in his general vicinity.  
  
_I've had ENOUGH toying with you, human..._  
  
The head which had been hit was now hanging limp as the others drew nearer to Dante. Dante placed a foot to the mouth of the head which he had stabbed, and removed his blade from the skull. With this, another howl from the beast as it's blood began to poor from wound.  
  
No longer able to concentrate with the pain which filled it's body each time another pump of blood spilled over to the ground, deceiving his enemies was out of the question. A quick snap of the middle head's jaw towards the Hunter, and Dante had dove into a roll, his coat slapping against Cerberus' teeth. Reaching his hand around to feel his coat, which was now dripping with a bit of saliva, a slightly disgusted look came to Dante's face.   
  
"Oh, now you're in trouble, dog."   
  
Upper lip of the middle head pulled back to bare his fangs, Cerberus leapt forward towards Dante. Had it not been for the fallen head slowing it down, Dante could have easily ended up as another doggy bone. Dante slipped beneath Cerberus as the beast snapped one head towards him.  
  
While the other went to the nearby Isabella, biting wasn't his main form of attack towards her -- his tail had crept up to the other side of her. His bark and bite hopefully knocking her backwards into the jaws of his serpent like tail, it's jaws unhinging in an attempt to swallow Isabella whole.   
  
The whole of confusion, action going on so fast, her head spinning from numerous unworldly colors spinning around her head, Isabella stood still as though a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming eighteen wheeler. All at once, though, the visions ceased and gave way to the snout and jaws of Cerberus just barely snatching a hold of her clothing with its huge teeth. First impulse to move backwards, something was obviously wrong. The blade she had been fending off illusory creatures with shifted in her hand, slithering down between her fingers and forming a spike of blackness from her palm, shoulders heaving behind her as she pivoted on one foot with the full force of her swing. It was only as she turned, that she saw the red blur that was Dante, as well as the sharply advancing open mouth of the serpentine tale. Her reflexes slowed from recovering from her stupor only moments before hand, a desperate attempt to nail the offending appendage with the shadowy spike was made.  
  
"I'm not going to let you win, Cerberus," she spoke softly as she moved, quick and articulate. "Not when things more important than your Master's plans are at stake."   
  
Cerberus' tail had made a quick shift in it's position, it seemed to be the fastest part of his entire body, still, it's scales were still pierced by a glancing hit of the shadow being wielded. Immediately snapping towards Isabella's flank it managed to grasp onto her upper arm, enormous teeth sinking into her flesh, and beginning to pump it's venom despite it's own bleeding taking place. While Isabella wouldn't die from this, it's venom was to paralyze it's victims, still it didn't work immediately, if she would be affected at all.   
  
Much to the tail's surprise, with a loud shout, Isabella pulled her arm as hard as she could, tearing muscle and flesh as the serpent's teeth dragged along the bone. As the tail's mouth was no longer clasped completely down upon her arm, Moofie had drawn himself back up her arm into the mouth of the serpent. As though unsheathed, like metal the sound of several spikes the shadow cat formed, shooting outwards in various directions, each of which pieced directly through the head and neck of the tail.   
  
Letting out a guttural growl, mixed with a saliva-drowned bark as the woman and shadow team proceeded to decimate his tail. Jaws opening up wide in fury, Cerberus lurched forward in a desperate attempt to disable, if not fell the woman who had brought that hunter here and caused him considerable pain. Hot, bubbling saliva poured forth from between the jagged points of his teeth, though this time, as it fell in contact with the floor, the bones below were reduced to little more than simmering puddles of liquefied calcium.   
  
_ Ungrateful wench! Mundus put too much trust into you and that worthless Euryon within you! _  
  
This made known, the beast reared back the head closest to Isabella, chest broadening and then constricting as a bolt of flame poured forth from between his jaws.  
  
Dante's Eyes widened as he heard Cerberus speak,   
  
"**What?!**"   
  
Extremely irate, he swung his blade violently at the underbody of Cerberus as he dove beside the creature's snapping jaws, sliding between it's huge paws. Although Cerberus had managed to move slightly, his preoccupation with Isabella had cost him just a bit of valuable reaction time. Dante's sword had made decent contact with Cerberus' chest, severing bits of muscle, which were already showing.   
  
It had sounded as if Isabella was somehow working with Mundus. It just didn't make sense to him, if Isabella had been with Mundus, they wouldn't be fighting with Cerberus, or any of the other creatures -- that is, unless of course it was all an elaborate trap. Mundus had a thing for sacrificing his own creatures after all. However, Dante's limited knowledge of Isabella along with her reluctance to tell much about herself seemed all the more convincing that perhaps he had been a little too trusting of her. Either way, he wanted to know the full story.  
  
Euryon, this was the second time he had heard her referred to as that name, but what significance did it play? Too much thought perhaps stuttered his movements for a moment, before he realized that fighting was fighting, talking and thinking just got in the way, a fact proven by Cerberus, himself. The three-headed canine had now switched targets to Dante. He was obviously slowing down, and Dante had enough time to shove his sword vertically towards Cerberus' jaws as they bit towards him. At first bracing the beast's mouth open, it soon clenched down on the sword, which subsequently pierced the outer part of it's muzzle. Dante's little reaction had cost him the use of his sword as he pulled his hands away before being severed by the teeth approximately the size of his femur.   
  
"Neither Mundus nor Euryon have anything to do with what I am doing, and neither do you!" Arm torn and useless for the time being at her side, Moofie perched on top of her shoulder - it was apparent that she had evaded Cerberus' bolt of flame. Now airborne, lit seams appeared to form from her collar bone, down the center of her stomach, and across her hips. The sole of one boot clattered down atop the head that had been seeking to disable her, lifting her even higher into the blackness of the air. Weight shifted, and the shadow cat formed a spike in her left hand. Isabella twisted, now facing head towards the ground with the lance of shadow in her hand aimed directly towards the forehead of the beast. She took it for granted that her partner was all right, and knew that sooner or later, full explanations were in order, but until then survival was the most important aspect of the moment.   
  
Dante stared at Isabella for the moment, as she continued to fight Cerberus. Cerberus' head had noticed his preoccupation, and reared back before breathing a burst of fire towards Dante. Just as he felt the heat come towards him, Dante had jumped into the air, the fire catching onto his pants and coat. Removing Ebony and Ivory from his hips by instinct, he began firing rapidly towards the head which was now rushing straight at him. His reckless behavior did not go unpunished, as his own sword was used as a weapon against him. Cerberus' neck lowered, ears pinned back as he thrust his head towards Dante, the man's sword sticking through the muzzle cut directly into his collarbone, snapping through it, and throwing him to the ground. His vest and shirt split open, revealing a gash along his chest. Cerberus had again began shaking his head in pain, as the swipe had caused Dante's blade to slice even farther back into his head. Dante rolled to his side, attempting to keep himself away from the violent motions of Cerberus, though not able to return to his feet.   
  
Her descent was fast as the beast was preoccupied with Dante. Isabella grasped the shadow blade tightly, as the sound of ripping flesh was apparent. The head that had been assaulting her was allowed no more than a blink before realizing that the sizeable black needle had pierced from the top of its muzzle, through the bottom of its jaw and pinned the head to the floor. At the same time, as Isabella's descent was stopped abruptly as her body came in contact with the bony surface and rotten flesh of the beast's snout. Though something was decidedly much stranger than anything at first glance; as though spider's legs had appeared from below her stomach, one hand still grasping the bolt of black shadow pinning the thrashing beast's left most head to the ground.   
  
Reddish brown oozed from Cerberus' snout and mouth, as she fought to keep her hold onto the beast. It would have then become apparent, that those disturbing ribs of hers had made another appearance -- the crunch of bone muffled below the growls and thrashes of the beast, as the grip by the spider-like appendages threatened to cause its snout to cave in on itself.   
  
As Cerberus pulled backwards, parts of it's muzzle were severed, remaining with Isabella. Stumbling back, what sounded like a slight cry emerged from it's broken face, blood streamed down it's face along with bits and pieces of bone which continued to crumble. With his last bit of strength, Cerberus turned it's last head towards Dante, and as it fell, opened it's mouth, teeth bore. A mixture of hot saliva and blood dripped below towards the huddled up blanket of redness. Cerberus would at least get the one; the top of his muzzle fell onto the ground, with his jaw below Dante's feet.   
  
Rolling onto his back just in time to smell the foulness coming from with in Cerberus' mouth, which was now concealing him from all light, Cerberus' eyes squinted, jaw muscles flexed as they began to bite down upon his prey. Dante's arms rose, hands still clenching his guns, and began to fire each in succession. His fingers hurried, firing off as many shots as possible, bullets flying first into the upper muzzle forcing it upwards as he braced himself against the lower jaw. Quickly shifting his firing location to the throat, Cerberus began to choke, coughing up a hot sanguine liquid upon Dante. Nevertheless, it forced his head back off of him, with little more than teeth marks in the bottoms of his boots. Rolling to the side, Dante continued to fire towards the beast, now directly into it's eyes.   
  
_The melancholic soul may be yours, woman ..._  
  
The beast uttered over the sound of Ebony and Ivory firing away, blinding him with a redness that became black within an instant.  
  
_... but your efforts will be in vain!_  
  
As though with one last, bated breath of effort, Cerberus' entire frame heaved in agony, pouring forth the foul stench of its breath and a rush of steaming red liquid. Eyes having long since lost their use, barely restrained in their sockets by threads of nerve that spasmed to hang on, the great beast's head clattered to the ground once again, shaking the foundation of the enormous room.   
  
And then there was silence.   
  
Below her, the twitches of the Hellhound ceased, and the black spike Isabella held melted from her fingertips, and appeared beside her as the faithful feline once again. The spider-like appendages that formed her ribs relaxed, allowing her to slip from the broken muzzle of Cerberus, and fall into the puddle of blood beside its head, hands planted on the soaked bones below.   
  
"We'll... see about that..." She muttered, nursing the one arm that had been torn by the creature's mouth as she hadn't the time to repair it.   
  
Dante climbed to his feet, his blood and cut were no where to be seen, though his clothes still housed the stench of the beast. He slowly walked towards the head of the beast, the one that still housed his sword, prying it from it's muzzle. A quick shake of the blade and it was clean enough for him. Resting it upon his back, he turned towards Isabella. His head leaned to the side slightly as his mouth showed an expression of discontent.. with her. He had information to find out, but first,   
  
"You didn't do too bad..." A slap to her back, and he walked ahead to the beast, nudging it slightly, "Bone breath here seemed to know more about you than I did... you never said anything about having a dog before..." It was obvious what he meant.   
  
Looking around the room once again, it was actually a room.... not some endless abyss of space. Cerberus' mind games just made it appear so, who knows how long they had been under his control. There was only one exit to the room, and Dante had already started on his way. Stopping a few feet from the door, he glanced over his shoulder with a slight grin on his face, "C'mon, babe... I just know it ain't over yet."   
  
Rising to her feet slowly with the aid of Moofie (who had promptly then moved towards Dante and circled his legs), and tended to her arm as she walked, somewhat haphazardly in the same direction Dante was going. Upon coming to his side, she sent him a sidelong glance, and only then decided to speak up.   
  
"Well it wasn't like they were going to just let me walk in and take it, was it?" Her tone had shifted somewhat between irritation and exhaustion, though now wasn't the time to think of it. Instead, now was the time to get what they had come so far for -- and by now, after what all had happened, she was by far ready and sure of her decision.  
  
"You won't need to worry about it much longer, though..." With that, her good hand connected with the rusted bar across the door, and gave it a tug. At the corners, dust fell before the heavy iron portal finally opened with a groan - from within, an ethereal glow, and a frigid mist.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes**Whew ... right off the presses for you! X_x 


	18. Melancholy Light

_don't turn around  
cause you're gonna see my heart breaking  
don't turn around  
i don't want you seeing me cry  
just walk away  
it's tearing me apart  
that you're leaving  
i'm letting you go  
but i won't let you know  
i wish i could scream out loud  
that i love you  
i wish i could say to you  
don't go  
as he walks away he feels the pain getting strong  
people in your life they don't know what's going on  
too proud to turn around he's gone  
don't turn around  
~Don't Turn Around, Ace of Base_  
  
  
  


**Luce ed Ombra**  
Chapter Seventeen  
  
_Melancholy Light_  
[By Ultema and Guo]  
  
  


The silence after the door's opening was slowly replaced by the pattering of rain, with an occasional roll of thunder. Before Dante, Isabella, and Moofie lay a corridor; thin and narrow, comprised of dark stone and devoid of any foul smell or mark of disturbance. The cold mist crept out in visible, bubbling sheets of whiteish blue, disappearing as it licked the floor just in front of their boots. The end was not visible from here, save for the occasional bolt of lightning that illuminated the tight, small space with brief flashes of light.  
  
A fine layer of dust was spread over the walls and warped, wooden windowsills. Candles long since burnt to the end of their wicks, melted and solidified as dripping wax down their holders were the only decoration on the walls. A carpet, dulled red not from wear, but age lead down the darkened corridor, and seemed to vanish out of sight, some ways down.   
  
Dante had decided to keep to himself for the moments since Isabella's comment -- not much made sense at the moment. Left in the dark throughout the entire journey, he debated whether it was best to be left that way for good; maybe not actually knowing anything about her was for the best. He glanced around the long hallway ahead, and continued forwards, ahead of the other two for the time being. Though he tried to think, to reason things out, nothing came to mind other than the thought that he had to know who she was -- what was her significance and relationship with Mundus, the one responsible for his father's death. Normally this wouldn't matter, in the past, if he met someone that was too mysterious, or had connections with the wrong entities, he'd just kill them, and forget about it, perhaps milk them for information if they groveled. But why was she was different? Why did he trust her, in spite of all that just occurred, and why did he want to know the truth about her? Not because it would bring him closer to finding the one responsible for his mother and brother's death, no, but because he actually had feelings for her, in some form or another.   
  
His boots were muffled by the rug below, though his footsteps could obviously be heard to be slowing. He had the whole walk to ask her questions. Soon along side of her, his head was turned towards hers. Quite the serious look on his face, quite different from the usual haphazard sarcastic grin he had usually kept on around her.   
  
"Tell me..".. His head turned forwards again and after just a second or two of silence, "Do I actually have to ask you?"   
  
"It depends on what it is exactly, you want to know...." The tone of voice Isabella used was synonymous with that of when they first met; deadpan, emotionless, cold. Their steps inaudible within the claps of thunder overhead, and yet still the green hues of her eyes that refused to reflect light flickered impassively at the seemingly endless corridor ahead. She didn't make an attempt to further the conversation, nor to look the way of Dante, instead keeping a steady, slow pace down the hall.  
  
"Everything is complicated beyond reason if it includes me, and I'm not a mind reader." Her good hand lifted and resting on the shoulder of the one that was injured, still leaking blackness across the markless red rug; a trail of tar-like drips leading in the same direction they were heading. At the moment, she didn't care about it, with good reason. There was no point in caring about the injury, for many reasons.  
  
Moofie trailed behind noiselessly, occasionally shifting his attention from left to right on either of the human figures before him. It was obvious by the tension the shadow kitten could smell in the air, that something was wrong with the two of them.   
  
Dante's eyes shifted to the side, towards Isabella, though his body remained at the same distance for the time being, " ... 'I won't have to worry about that much longer' ... Just who the hell are you? You claim you can't die.. Or do you just not care anymore, I can't tell... I'm used to death threats, but somehow I don't buy it all."  
  
His eyes glanced downwards towards her arm, it was really the first time she looked permanently injured. Slowly, his path brought him closer to her, reluctant to say much more, as he was too enwrapped looking into her eyes, from the side of course. So distinct, something he just couldn't place. Dante shook his head as he returned his gaze in front of him.   
  
"Euryon..." He mumbled that one under his breath, again, everything seemed vaguely familiar to him, and yet, he was sure he had no right to think that way.. "Mundus....." Again he looked to her wound, "and you... are you alright? Why don't you get your cat to help you out or something, I'm not much of a nurse myself." He had slowed down to a near stop by now, his torso facing hers.   
  
" ... When I asked you to help me," Isabella paused for a moment, thoughtfully as she continued on , barely sparing the white-haired man a sidelong glance. Another bolt of lightning illuminated them for a brief moment, and still the darkness trickled from her fingertips as her arm remained lifeless at her side. " I said you'd inherit everything, didn't I? My sole purpose right now, is to keep you alive long enough to help me finish what I started. I would never go back on my word. I would never try to kill you."   
  
_... I didn't when I had the chance ... the orders ... all those years ago ..._  
  
Leaving her answer just that undefined, she would let her partner figure out for himself what she was saying. Though the steely, tight knit furrow of her brow had melted into something much less determined.  
  
"There is no place for creatures of the Underworld, or products of it, like me in your world. I have proven that over the years, whether I wanted to or not.."  
  
Moofie caught up at that moment, brushing against Dante's pant leg with a halfhearted, pleading mew. Smarter than anyone would give a feline credit for, he understood the problems at hand, the questions, and the frustration. The sympathetic beast mewed softly again as Isabella continued.  
  
"It just doesn't matter any more, from this point on, what condition I am in.."   
  
"Well I wasn't worried too much about that, " An eye winked for her, and a smirk on his face once again -- it seemed as though it was his way of dealing with misleading information, "and that's all well and good, you know I agree your kind doesn't belong..." He trailed off. It was strange saying that to her, despite it being his true feelings, he obviously wasn't planning on killing her, if he could even do so. Dante had reached an arm down the feline beside him, who promptly slid up to his shoulders, he had grown quite attached to the little bugger.   
  
"And your condition matters to me.. hell, how could I get back out of this place without a guide like you?" Yeah, he had to cover up his feelings, the piss ass. "You're a lot more trouble than I thought, but hell, I kinda like it babe... but you gotta promise to tell me all about ya one day..." He had completely missed the idea behind what she was saying.   
  
So he'd have to wait to learn all about her, that was fine by him, he had his own set of theories on who she was. "Just tell me.. how do you know that slime ball Mundus, eh? .. Just don't tell me you were his former lover, I might have to slap some sense into you." Lightening the mood and killing one was his specialty.   
  
For the first time since they had fought Cerberus together, Isabella cracked something that resembled some sort of emotion - a half smirk. You asshole, she thought musingly before turning her attention towards Dante, continuing to walk. The hallway seemed to be black on both ends now, as if it weren't black five inches in front of their noses.  
  
"I worked for him, some time ago... when I was still in his debt ... for bringing me back to this world..." She'd explained to him before her situation a few centuries back, and hoped that he would still remember. That was the key to her newest lack of information explanation.  
  
"I didn't realize exactly how sour his deal was... or what it would entail... and don't worry. It will all come together..."  
  
"Worry...?" One brow arched slightly as he turned his neck just enough to allow eye contact, "Now why would I do that...?" Sarcasm? Perhaps, but there was always the off chance that he was finally beginning to trust her. After all, there was no way he would have made it this far by himself, nor did he think he'd be able to get any farther if she hadn't been tagging along. Meanwhile, all of this was for her sake, and he still didn't have the slightest clue as to how any of what they had done so far would help her situation.   
  
Dante's footsteps slowed as he came closer and closer to the end of the hallway.   
  
Hesitation with each step, it was actually kinda scary -- though caution was the better word in Dante's mind. Whatever lay ahead depended on Isabella's background, something Dante knew all too little about, and therefore, it was like charging into a battlefield blindly. Luckily that was something he was quite used to.   
  
Isabella on the other hand, seemed to fall fairly silent as the door at the end of the hall became more and more apparent. Through the cracks at the edge of the worn wooden door, flashes of lightning were easily seen. The scent ahead of them no longer stagnant, but fresh of rain and the cold air that settled just beyond. As the last few feet drew nearer, a hand reached out and grasped the icy metal of the ring which would open the portal, and lead outside.   
  
"You will understand, even if you don't now." Yes, she reaffirmed herself, and him as well of this as the frigid steel was grasped within pale, slender fingers. One tug given with her shoulders and the door cracked open -- a fainter light flooding into the dim hallway through the slit it was opened. A cold breeze poured in, carrying with it a fine mist that tumbled in upon itself and to the floor, spilling out across the carpet and lapping at the soles of their boots. There was lightning, but from what one could see out the door, it appeared a brisk, winter morning with rain. The ground itself looked white.   
  
Slipping past Isabella to be in front again, Dante slowly drew his guns, scanning the area. He wasn't really sure whether he was instinctively trying to protect Isabella, but she sure as hell didn't need any help protecting herself. Dante raised a gun to scratch the back of his head in a bit of embarrassment; he realized she could probably be the one guarding him at the moment. A flick of his wrists and the guns twirled flawlessly around his middle fingers and were quickly replaced to their holsters. "Well, it looks all clear to me out here." Obviously. His hands now took the role of guarding him, as well as Isabella, from leaking sky. The garden looked perfectly normal from a glance... however upon closer inspection, which Dante would of course never do (they were lucky he hadn't already broken everything in the garden), there was a figure which resembled a heart, mounted on some sort of pedestal.  
  
Perhaps it…"Is that what we're looking for?" His hand wavered in the way of the artifact. A 'ch-' like sound emerged. He felt a little bit like Dorothy at the moment.   
  
"Yeah, that's it."   
  
Well, that hadn't sounded all that enthusiastic, though Isabella trudged almost reluctantly forward through the falling leaves, rain, snow, glaring sun, thunder, lightning and the blooms of the garden that were flowering, and dying alternately. No weapon in hand, and no tension in her form as she moved on, she reached out and grasped Dante's arm lightly by the material of his coat.   
  
Moofie shifted on Dante's shoulder.  
  
"We should be okay here... I don't think that there's anything to worry about." Isabella tugged lightly on her companion's arm as she made her way towards the small enclosure ahead that held the prize -- brilliant and shining, like something made of crystal. The air grew gradually more frigid as they moved on.   
  
It sounded a bit strange at first, his eyes making a sort of 'what are you, kidding?' look to them. Though he believed her, his guard was lowered... though after the last few instances, he would never let himself become unaware of his surroundings. Who knew what kind of beast could jump out of nowhere looking to avenge something... on him, of course.   
  
Dante followed closely with her due to the tug. An odd feeling that created... it felt like he was needed... wanted... cared for. Something he hadn't felt since... His mind raced through his life. No one really cared for him. He wouldn't let them ever. The only time that came to mind, was a vague memory of his childhood -- before any of the life changing events which occurred to him.  
  
He stared forward, attempting to appraise the value of that crystal. Maybe it was just the engagement ring she'd always wanted. It just seemed out of place. Dante wondered what the significance of this unguarded bit of rock was to Isabella and Mundus. He let out a small grunt to show interest, and perhaps provoke a bit of enlightenment from his companion.   
  
To Isabella, the entire thing seemed as though it were going in slow motion, and all she could do was hold onto the arm of her companion a little tighter. Be it for care of her partner, or something else -- there was a definite feeling of fear flooding over her. Her cold limbs feeling more frigid, made it harder to move forward towards this little trinket that had so much mystery surrounding it. It was either the crystalline item on the pedestal or her own mind numbing fear was starting to take its toll on her body.   
  
"Stay here for a second..." At this time, she shifted her attention towards Dante. Green eyes devoid of reflection turned sharply in their sockets, resting on the cooled teal ones of the white-haired young man she was with. Reluctantly, her fingertips slid from the texture of his coat, down his arm to his hand --trailing over a palm until only their fingertips parted and she turned, heading up a small set of stairs that lead to the item.  
  
"It's all here... everything that I've needed up until now is right here. Your job will be done soon enough, Dante..." Though more to herself than him, she continued to her destination, attention then locked on the prize.   
  
Despite Dante's preoccupation with knowing why they were here, all his cares seemed to disappear when he noticed the grip on his arm tightening. It was easy to tell whatever this was, it was frightening to Isabella. By that fact alone, he had plenty of reasons to be scared himself.... but he wasn't quite like that. His hand held her arm to reassure her that he was there, but as soon as he had shown his concern, she had left his side. His eyes couldn't help but stare into hers.   
  
Done soon enough? What did this mean? ... Nearing the end of the job didn't exactly contain the same sort of excitement he had once imagined. His right foot continued towards where she had gone, but his other remained planted in the ground below, respecting her wishes. All he could do was watch.  
  
His lips parted as he his eyes remained locked upon her, a quiet "Isa--" was all that could be heard... the rest was only in lip-synch.   
  
Step by step, the heavier Isabella's body felt as she approached the cerulean light surrounding the small, fist-sized item. The air swirled curiously, stinging cold gusts grazed against her face, turning her flesh pink at the cheeks and forcing her to squint. The wind pushed hard, as though attempting to reject the approaching figure as it drew ever nearer -- at the top of the platform. Mist curled around her feet and trailed over the staircase, barely vanishing before entering Dante's vicinity.  
  
The sound of thunder seemed to have been muted, but the lightning flashed in a day lit sky.. and the rain continued to pour.  
  
Upon standing just before the pulsating light that emanated from the crystalline heart, the plaque just below caught Isabella's eye.  
  
_Completion and destruction, strength and weakness, it exists in darkness and in light. No boundaries it cannot cross, no soul it cannot fill, and yet as fleeting as a final breath. By this, that moves the sun and other stars turns the broken ring full circle, it oftimes goes unnoticed and leaves the full one empty._  
  
And she smiled. With hands rising from her sides, fingertips extended she reached into the blinding light.   
  
Dante could barely see anything let alone the look on Isabella's face, yet, he knew what she was feeling. He could feel her within himself somehow. He couldn't just stand around and watch whatever she was doing. This wasn't a happy moment, he could tell that blindfolded in a trunk.  
  
As he saw her hands reach inwards, his feet could no longer hold him back to obey his mind's common sense. He ran towards the pedestal. His voice was muted as he attempted to shout her name, even screaming as loudly as he could, it seemed as though the light were preventing the sound waves from traveling at all. Staggering up the stairs as whatever was pushing Isabella back at first sure as hell didn't like him. He neared the top, and extended an arm out towards what he couldn't see, hoping she'd find it if he couldn't find her.   
  
Moofie was forced off of Dante's shoulders by some strange force, landing softly in the snow on his paws as he watched with intense curiosity of the scene unfolding before his eyes. The feline understood everything just as well as the next spectator, who happened to have been running after Isabella.   
  
Isabella's mouth moved slightly, though no sound came out. Her hand, being forced away from the center of the light, was slowly rising, a single finger extended as she concentrated; forced herself to push her hand ever closer. Though it was as soon as she felt a warm gloved hand wrap its fingers around her bicep, that she grasped the eye-rending trinket from its place on the pedestal. In a single instant, the light from the crystalline heart was drawn from its source, entering and filling her form with a force that seemed to jar her where she stood. A pulse-like shockwave of light having seemingly frozen her in place; an expression of utter astonishment locked on her features -- the light of the item continually grew dimmer, as it welled and grew brighter with each pulse traveling from her arm to the furthest outreaches of her person.   
  
The second the pulsations began, Dante's eyes widened, several short gasps followed as he could feel the leftovers of what Isabella was getting fed. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling, but remained latched onto her, observing everything.  
  
It was only seconds when the entire form of Isabella's figure had been glossed and capped in the same blinding brilliance that had been the icen heart. A black, liquidy substance seemed to fill the dulled trinket as the last bit of light glazed over the frozen form of the young woman, and at that instant the light shattered as though a thin shell of illumination had been formed around the time-locked body. Shards fell, and vanished into the cold air.  
  
And she was released from the frozen position, legs promptly folding below the weight of her form even as Dante held onto her arm. A thin breath drawn inwards as she collapsed on herself, body heavy like lead.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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**Author's Notes:**B-GACK!! Such a long story as to why there have been no updates X-x Between going away for the summer, FFnet outages, Otakon and the like, it wasn't until now I was able to put anything up. Sorry for the disappointing lack of updates. ;_; 


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